Film review: Wimbledon.
After the special effects laden blockbusters of the summer past it was time for something low key, and I got exactly that in this lovely little British film starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany.
Summary: A British tennis player who was ranked 119th in the world (Bettany), and generally considered to be on his last legs as a professional player, gets his one last chance to win the All-England Lawn Tennis Championships on the grassy courts of Wimbledon. But he hadn't taken the all-American 'bad girl of tennis' Lizzie Bradbury' into account, who's company could prove either for the better or the worse.
The casting is, in my humble opinion, excellent. Kirsten Dunst, playing Lizzie Bradbury, is in great form as always, and keeps proving again and again that she has succesfully made the transfer from child-actress to fully fledged leading woman. The male lead, a charming Paul Bettany, playing Peter Colt, has been my favourite British actor for quite some time now, and this film only underlines that fact.
The supporticg cast is also quite good. Jon Favreau (Swingers) puts in an amusing but brief performance as both player's agent, Bernard Hill (Lord of the Rings) and Eleanor Bron are warm presences as Peter's parents, and James McAvoy (Band of Brothers) is annoying but fun as Peter's idiotic and heartless brother. And Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Black Hawk Down) forms one of the best friendships I've seen in recent times with Peter, as his practice partner Dieter Prohl.
The directing is also top notch, provided by the unknown (to me, at least) Richard Loncraine. From the opening credits, where the titles appear to the thwock-thwock of a tennis ball being hit back and forth across a court, the director keeps Wimbledon moving at a pleasingly swift pace.
Where this movie really excels is in how it portrays the actual tennis matches. Watching Peter advance through one round after another might have quickly grown repetitive. But Loncraine, aided by his editor Humphrey Dixon, managed to put the focus not on the matches themselves, but on the man playing them, Peter Colt. There are moments here where Bettany is held in close-up, and the only sounds we hear are his interior monologue, which put us inside the athlete's head. This way the matches stay interesting to watch.
All in all, Wimbledon is filled with quick wit, dry English humor, fantastic (although computer-generated) tennis matches and a stand-out leading couple. What's not to like? It's a great film for a good laugh and it's a definite pleaser. Dunst is a smash, Bettany an ace, and this film as a whole is a match-winning love game.
Recommended.
A 72 out of 100.
Cheers
7 Comments:
Is that still at theaters? Or can I run out to my rent-a-movie store and grab one?
Just out over here. Go see it, you'll love it.
Cheers
Martin! What is wrong w/ my font? i hate that template, did i mess it up?
Paul Bettany. Now there is one brilliant actor!
Agreed, Pep! He's a pleasure to watch (in a purely heterosexual way, of course).
And Dominique, I'll see what I can do. Check your inbox.
Cheers
I love the acting and (esp) the looks of Paul Bettany. I wonder if I can find it in theaters now, or I have to wait for the release?
What about Open Waters?
Depends on where you're from, I guess. 'Wimbledon' is a British film, with a mainly British cast, so it won't get a big release outside the UK and the rest of europe.
I haven't seen 'Open Water' just yet, because it hasn't been released here yet. I'm not sure if that'll happen at all. Looks like a good film, though.
Cheers
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