Wimbledon Movie Review:


For a great romantic comedy to work, you have to have four basic film elements work for you. One is that you need a story that encompasses the couple and eventually brings them together. The second is that you need one of your primary characters to be unlucky in love or has given up on love. The third is that you need the audience to like the characters, get involved with them and eventually cheer for them to get together. The fourth and sometimes most crucial is that you need good music to set the scene and to enhance the yearning between the two lovers. Wimbledon was very close to getting all these elements right.

Wimbledon stars Paul Bettany of “Master and Commander” and “A Knight’s Tale” as Peter Colt, an aging tennis star shuffled down to the backside of the tour and Britain’s dark horse for bringing the Wimbledon crown home. Colt has problems at home and with his game.

His only salvation seems to come when he mistakenly walks in on female tennis phenom Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst). There is an immediate attraction between the two players and a romance develops much to the dismay of Lizzie’s father (Sam Neill).

This is Colt’s last Wimbledon and he could just go all the way if he could just get Lizzie out of his head. Lizzie also seems to be having problems with her game. Can the two lovebirds get their games back on track long enough to win their matches? And how is Peter going to do when he has the weight of a rabid country on his shoulders?

Wimbledon’s biggest flaw is that it really never makes the audience yearn to see these the characters fall in love. It starts off their romance as an affair to distract them from the pressures of the game. Then snowballs into a film more focused on the game with a little romance. By the time the third act rolls around, the film has forgotten what the score is in the bedroom and on the court.

The film’s saving grace is British actor Paul Bettany, whose performance as the aging tennis star is utterly flawless. The more precious moments are when the audience is allowed to get inside the athlete’s head and we hear his thoughts. I loved those moments. I also really liked Bettany’s calm demeanor in the character even when he is doing outlandish things to see his lady love one more time. This is a brilliant performance and hopefully a recognizable one for people not familiar with the actor.

I did have a lot of problems with Kirsten Dunst. Her performance is all over the map and as a viewer it was hard to read the girl. When she does eventually confesses her feelings, you almost think she is about to break into laughter.

The film never lets us know what was going on in her head and think that reluctance distances the audience from Dunst’s character. I think the film should have explored both her character and Bettany’s in the same way. Maybe through that we could have liked Lizzie more.

I really liked the tennis moments and finally seeing tennis portrayed in such a way on the silver screen. I am not sure that North American audiences know what it is like for a British star to win Wimbledon. Poor British tennis star Tim Henman has been trying to make that a reality for eons.

As a sports film, Wimbledon does have a lot going for it but as a romantic comedy it is just plain hard to get into.

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

Saying good-bye to a sport you love is almost as difficult as finding the right soul mate to spend your life with. In the romantic comedy “Wimbledon,” Peter Colt faces both of these challenges. As an ailing tennis star whose ranking has slipped from number 11 to 119, he doesn’t need a bonk in the head from a tennis ball to get the picture.

After landing a wild card spot in the Wimbledon tournament, Peter (Paul Bettany) approaches the game with a bit of melancholy. He knows his tennis game is through. In fact he’s already accepted a job at a tennis club where he’ll spend his days showing the old men how to swing and fending off the invitations of the overly eager aging women.

Although Peter is somewhat in the dumps when he plays his first match, he wins. He’s not sure if it’s skill, a bit of luck, or the fact that he met Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), a rising young tennis star whose bewitching smile and flirtatious attitude definitely brightened his day.

Lizzie is dating tennis champ Jake (Austin Nichols), but she can’t seem to get Peter off her mind. She’s at the top of her game and determined to win Wimbledon. Until now, men have been an amusing pastime to fill in between matches, but Peter is different. Lizzie and Peter begin to see each other during games and soon can’t stay away from each other. This presents another problem, since Lizzie’s overbearing dad (Sam Neill) follows her like a shadow. He wants to ensure that his daughter’s decision not to allow love to get in the way of her game is carried out.

In making “Wimbledon,” director Richard Loncraine managed to meet two challenges; pulling off the right chemistry between the lead actors and making the tennis aspects of the film appear real. His leading man, Englishman Paul Bettany, has certainly earned his acting stripes. Moviegoers began to notice him when he played Russell Crowe’s roommate in “A Beautiful Mind,” and Bettany exhibited the breadth of his talent when he played Dr. Stephen Maturin in “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.”

Although Bettany had never taken on a romantic comedy before or acted in a film about sports, he was up for both challenges. I happened to be visiting a friend in Mexico when Bettany was staying next door while filming “Master and Commander.” He was taking tennis lessons and put a lot of energy into learning the game. The actors didn’t have to sweat making the ball hit the right mark, however, as they only had to learn the how to serve. Computer Graphics (CG) made sure all the balls hit the right spot.

Dunst liked the task of beefing up her tennis skills. “Kirsten moves well and is quite elegant in her tennis scenes,” said tennis advisor and coach Pat Cash. “She was good in practice, but when it was “rolling, action,” she was fantastic.”

To make sure “Wimbledon” had the authenticity of real tennis action, American commentator Mary Carillo, tennis champs John McEnroe, John Barrett and Chris Evert all have small roles in the film as themselves.

Bettany and Dunst found the right chemistry to ensure a believable love story. They’re both beautiful on screen. Dunst has a natural entertaining quality and a pleasurable smile that draws one in to whatever role she plays. Bettany is charming as well and made the comedy aspects of the film look easy.

“Kirsten’s character feels that she can’t have a career and a relationship at the same time,” Bettany explained, “while my character actually plays better tennis once he’s fallen in love with her.”

It’s intriguing to watch the juxtaposition of these characters’ conflict. Falling in love will kill Lizzie’s chances of winning her tournament, but that’s the only thing helping Peter win his matches. “Wimbledon” really comes down to deciding which match is more important, and while the movie isn’t Oscar-caliber, it’s exactly what it sets out to be – funny and romantic.

Diana Saenger

Once ranked 11th in the world, Peter Colt (Bettany) is about to hit thirty-two years old and he has plummeted to 119th. Facing the prospect of becoming a tennis pro at a health club, Peter decides that this is his last Wimbledon championships, a fact that the press don’t seem too bothered about. Thinking he will go out in the first round, Peter’s passion for the game returns when he meets up and coming American tennis star Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst) and he starts winning.

Mixing romantic comedy and sports could be a real crowd-pleaser but can Wimbledon serve up both successfully or will it double-fault.

As a romantic comedy, the movie has all the key players on the court and it delivers an ace in the form of Paul Bettany. Already an accomplished actor with a varied career, he is one of the few British stars to have avoided the trappings of the Rom-Com. In a role that would have been more associated with the likes of Hugh Grant or Colin Firth, Bettany does everything right and makes the character of Peter Colt instantly likeable. While the character does come from a slightly more privileged background, Bettany succeeds in making him an everyman, someone everyone can connect with and would want to socialise with. In essence he is the typical British underdog that we all root for and Bettany brings this essence to the screen extremely well.

Kirsten Dunst serves a few aces also, but there is the odd double fault. As an actress, there is no denying her talent and she is no stranger to the genre but the sometimes her character just comes across as unlikeable. This trait of the character, her bitchy, killer instinct on the court is completely opposite to what we see when she is with Bettany. While this was probably intentional, a misunderstood and driven star who just needs to be loved, the change is just too (server) to allow you to connect to the character.

The supporting cast is good however. Bernard Hill is as excellent as ever as Peter’s father, as is Eleanor Bron as Peter’s mother. James McAvoy provides many of the laughs as Peter’s brother Carl. John McEnroe and Chris Evert bring some realism to the TV coverage on the movie but both of them shouldn’t give up their day jobs for acting.

The tennis itself is also quite good. You can tell that the ball is computer generated most of the time however, but this doesn’t take anything away from the action. Actually filming the movie at Wimbledon also works very well but there are a few inaccuracies that tennis fans will instantly pick up on, like the fact that they play the semi-finals on No.2 Court. The final is on Centre Court however, making the finale all that more exciting.

Wimbledon tries to play like a champion but ends up been like all British tennis players, a big hype but can’t actually win. While the movie is enjoyable enough, it doesn’t really stray far enough away from the predictable trappings of a sports movie. More of a second serve than an Ace.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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