Wimbledon courting...

Rating: Null/10 (7 October 2004)

Ageing journey-man tennis play meets up-and-coming American star of the court.
There are the bones of a pleasant, if simple, love story here and the actors were well chosen. Add in the Wimbledon tennis tournament, an interesting backdrop for a movie, and there's considerable potential.
The casting agent could have made a terrible move choosing drop-dead gorgeous model types, but instead opted for the more normal, freckly, gingery-blonde duo of Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany.
Dunst is Lizzy Bradbury, the "bad girl" American who has come to Wimbledon to win.
Disappointingly there was only one wobbly, even though she could have had lessons from original bad boy John McEnroe, who was on-set for a cameo appearance, alongside Chris Evert.
Bettany plays Peter Colt, an averagely good tennis pro once ranked 11th in the world but now staring down the barrel of retirement and helping tiddly older women with their serve at a well-to-do tennis club.
Bettany as Chaucer, was the only thing to shine in the Heath Ledger film A Knight's Tale and he didn't disappoint here with what little he was given to work with.
However, it was a pity he was starved of decent lines that the overall plot was so dull and predictable. By midway through I was seriously wondering how many heads would have rolled for churning out such a flop.
The leads, both appealing as they are seemed to lack chemistry, though this didn't stop them falling into each other's arms without even a hint of a chase, or at least a show of doubt and nerves. Boring.
Even more boring was Sam Neill, Lizzy's father, who came across dull and lifeless, though it was hardly a challenging role.
However, just as I was considering a quiet nap, the action picked up in the second half and I found myself actually enjoying it, despite that appalling predictability.
So, not a complete waste of time, but only if you are scratching for entertainment or a die-hard romantic. I give it 5/10!