Wimbledon (2004)

That was an excellent one.

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Critics,are you kidding us

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The advent of Andy Murray has badly aged these type of films. When you have a true life British Wimbledon champion, you care less about a fictional one.This film gets served regularly during Wimbledon fortnight. It is a passable rom-com starring an actor who is rather unsuited to the genre.Paul Bettany plays Peter Colt, a has been British tennis player about to call it a day. He has a wildcard for Wimbledon and at his hotel he encounters rising American tennis star Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) who is coached by her father (Sam Neill.)What starts as flirting ends up being a bit more serious, the upside being Peter starts to win, he gains the attention of the British public and his agent (Jon Favreau.)It is a likeable film but it is rather bland and also by the numbers with very little comedy.

Before I traduce this film, ~ I have to point out how much I admire the cast of great actors. Betany gives a flawless performance, as usual, but is working with an awfully outdated attack on the class system, which Mr. Allen has no real conception of being one of the elite and not a native of the British Isles. The premise of a society riven, and divided by class runs along clankingly throughout. After the killings in the film, it meanders on aimlessly until, trying to seek some resolution, Allen comes up with: horror of horrors the corpses of the dead materialise like some Homeric decent into the underworld. Maybe Allen might have succeeded had he followed Homer's lead and made Betany descend like a mystic elevator into Hades, but no. Sadly the dead materialise in the Kitchen illuminated by the open fridge.The wait for this resolution was not worthwhile, and to save myself embarrassment I had had to leave the cinema.Has Woody Allen lost the plot? Yes, and for some time.

Wimbledon is a sweet, unpretentious, high flying, romantic comedy. The humor is intellectual, with interesting British dialogs without slangs or complications, and full of funny expressions.Paul Bettany has a number of subtle facial/body expression that are just the right spice for the tone of the movie. Although I always find it difficult to accept Kristen Dunst has playing a star, she's more suited as an athletic star and perfect as Paul Bettany's opposite, bringing spunk like she can easily do.The setting of the movie is quite interesting, and the shots beautiful. More over, the story has a full figure, and is peppered with interesting details. You can feel the English fever for Wimbledon, and the soundtrack is quite appropriate.Only a few things mar this beauty. First, most court commentators sound like their reading their script, especially McEnroe and Evert. Second, the tennis itself, while well edited, shows flaws from time to time.That being said, it is my favorite romantic comedy because it has everything and does it all right just like I want it.A must see.

I maybe shouldn't be reviewing this film, as I came in half way through, but if I'd seen it from the start I'd have turned it off.To start with, this is a fantasy-flick. A Brit wins Wimbledon? Oh puleeze! Unfortunately it's on the night we lost to Germany in the World Cup, which doesn't help. This is one of those Britflicks whose production values are designed to appeal to American audiences in the feeble hope that the film will make some money. This rarely comes off. We are a hard hearted unpleasant cynical race who ought to leave schmaltzy sentimentality to the Americans who are expert in it. British films made for British tastes occasionally strike it lucky over there, but in a completely unpredictable fashion. I have no idea whether this one did, but I doubt it.Look at the storyline involving the little ballboy hit on the head. Our Hero shows him a little care and tenderness. How unbritish! In a true Britflick nobody would have cared if he'd been carried off stone dead.This film, like so many we make, falls quite expertly between two stools. If it's on again I'll watch 'The day after tomorrow' instead. A pretty grim load of sentimental unscientific tosh, but it beats this. Or I might dig the garden.