"Wimbledon"
Tennis pro Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) has seen better
days as a player. Once ranked #11, he is now rated
119th in the world, which means there are 118 players
that are younger, stronger and faster than he. But, he
has played well enough to earn a wild card spot in the
upcoming All-England Lawn Tennis Championship, better
know to the rest of the world as "Wimbledon."
Tennis is not one of the sports that come to mind when
I think in terms of excitement and action. I,
personally, find the game to be only marginally more
interesting than watching a golf match – which is only
slightly better than watching paint dry. But, Paul
Bettany had peaked my interest since I first noted
him, as Geoffrey Chaucer, in "A Knight's Tale, then in
"A Beautiful Mind" and "Master and Commander." He
showed his acting chops in all of these, and other,
films but I was curious to see if he could anchor a
romance/comedy/rags-to-riches story.
"Wimbledon" is only a fair sports flick, but it does
affirm my thoughts that Bettany is an acting force to
be reckoned with. As I watched the film, I thought
about how Hugh Grant in the role of Peter – especially
since the producers are credited with "Four Weddings
and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill." I found out later
that Grant was actually the first choice for the Peter
Colt role (a bit too old to play a tennis pro trying
to make a comeback). Paul Bettany has the same
self-effacing temperament as Grant and I found his
droll wit to be a plus in the role of Colt.
Kirsten Dunst gives an assured performance as rising
young American tennis star Lizzie Bradbury. While I
like the romance between Peter and Lizzie, I wasn't
bowled over by the chemistry between the two. Dunst
has obviously worked hard to get the tennis moves down
and does a good job with the physical aspect of her
talented, athletic rich kid character.
Supporting cast helps to flesh things out a goodly
bit. Veteran thesps Bernard Hill and Eleanor Bron, as
Peter's father and mother, put an amusing spin on
their characters as they are shown growing farther and
farther apart, only to be brought back together
because of their son's game. James McAvoy gets good
mileage as Carl, Peter's ne'er do well younger brother
who keeps betting against his older sibling for the
duration of the Wimbledon matches. Sam Neil is only OK
as Lizzie's protective and surprisingly tolerant dad.
Jon Favreau gets some hilarious moments as Peter's
fast-talking, sleazy American sports agent, Ron Roth.
John McEnroe and Chris Evert have a good time as the
Wimbledon broadcast commentators.
As I said, I'm not a big tennis fan, unless you count
my fondness for Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a
Train." The liberal use of CGI during the matches
helps to give a believable look to the games that
blends with the live action.
Helmer Richard Loncraine, who is previously known for
his modern take on Shakespeare's "Richard III"
starring Ian McKellan in the title role, works well
enough with the romantic sport/romance script by Adam
Brooks, Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin. While the
story holds few surprises on or off the court, it is
well-paced tale that intersperses tennis match with
the budding love match. The wrap up ties all the loose
ends together into a neat bow but the
and-they-all-live-happily-ever-after smacks of cliché
and lack of imagination. The real draw, for me, is
seeing Paul Bettany fill the romantic comedy shoe that
Hugh Grant has long grown out of. I give Wimbledon a
B-.
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