Wimbledon (2004)

Just perfect...

Admirable film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Nope, nothing special here, other than that the story (love conquers all) is in a tennis setting. That's not to say that it isn't a pleasant film and mostly done rather well.Paul Bettany as the male love/tennis interest was "okay", although not to intriguing that I'll be buying many movie tickets just to see him. But, he was reasonably convincing as a tennis pro. Kirsten Dunst was "okay" as the female love/tennis lead...but she's been more interesting in other films. James McAvoy...well, I just don't get the attraction. Nice to see Bernard Hill as Bettany's father; very convincing. Eleanor Bron was "okay" as the mother. Sam Neill gets a little screen time as Dunst's father.The story itself...well, it works as a love story, but I'm not totally convinced it works as a tennis story. I'm not much of a tennis fan, though I may watch a match or two on occasion. But is it likely someone who is standing at a ranking of 119 will really win a Wimbledon? This is a "good" film, and it meets one of my standards for a sports film -- you don't have to love tennis to enjoy the movie. But there's just something missing. I wonder if there is really much screen chemistry between Dunst and Bettany.I won't recommend it or dis-recommend it. It's "okay".

Paul Bethany steals the show with his charm, wit and dashing smile. His co-star Kirsten Dunst delivers, as always, but will not be remembered for this fairly unremarkable role. The two actors have a surprising chemistry, and appear very relatable. They are average actors; blonde, young and normal, and pull off the athlete status with grace.Though classified as a romantic comedy, the love story between the two tennis players was not what kept me watching. Instead, Wimbledon is driven by Bethany's character Peter, and his last chance at a successful career. Suspense is gradually built, keeping one wondering if Peter can really pull the whole thing off, until one is on the edge of their seat by the end. Though a fairly predictable love story, it works for the film and gives the viewer a secondary story to root for if the tennis is not enough. Neither could stand alone, and thus complement each other and serve the film well. With a perfect balance of sports and love, Wimbledon will keep any viewer enthralled.

With the TV having been filled over the last few days of news that,for the first time in 74 years,a British player has made it to the final of Wimbledon ,I felt that it would be a terrific time to tee-up and take a look at Woody Allen's 2005 film Match Point.About an hour after having originally planned to watch Match Point,I soon began to suspect that I would have to change my plans,due to being unable to remember where I last put the DVD!.Luckaly,as I was miserably falling to find Woody's movie,I discovered that my dad had recently picked up a charming looking Rom-Com on DVD,which I hope would help me to kick off the final day of Wimbledon with a winning shot.The plot:Finding himself dead on arrival for the upcoming Wimbledon tennis tournament by being right at the bottom of the world rankings,tennis player Peter Colt decides to announce that he is going to retire once the upcoming tournament has finished.Openly reviled about Peter finally deciding to hang up his racket,members of Peter's family start advising him to become a professional trainer for a recently opened,private tennis club.Heading for his first day of training at Wimbledon,Peter accidentally enters the hotel room of US Woman's tennis player Lizzie Bradbury.Trying to excuse himself from his embarrassing mistake,Lizzie instead surprises Colt by saying that she would like to see a lot more of him.Despite the constant attempts by Bradbury's dad (who is also her manager) of keeping them apart,Lizzie and Peter soon begin to go on a number of dates that give Colt an enthusiasm for tennis which he has not had in years.View on the film:Deciding to leave out any obnoxious moments or will they/wont they- ness,screenwriters Adam Brooks,Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin instead decide to focus on the warm,easy going,natural chemistry between Peter Colt and Lizzie Bradbury, (played by a great smooth Paul Bettany,and a kooky and grunting, (although no where near as much as the William's sisters) Kirsten Dunst) along with giving the terrific familiar faces (Bernard Lee,Robert Lindsay,Jon Favreau,a pre-Wanted James McAvoy and a US accent carrying Sam Neil) just enough material to make their appearances a joy to watch.Although the "extrem close up" shots of CGI tennis is sadly a pretty clunky gimmick,director Richard Loncraine and cinematography Darius Khondij, (who has also worked on David Fincher's Seven,and by pure chance,Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris!) make the stunningly filmed on-location Wimbledon matches the centre of the film,with Flackett cleverly deciding to use moments where Peter's very funny inner monologue's can be heard,and also not cutting the shoots every few seconds,but instead allowing the matches to have a real flow which gets more tense as Peter gets closer to being the first British player in almost 70 years to be in the final of Wimbledon.

I'm a dude, but I can genuinely appreciate "chick flicks"...if they have some originality and/or creativity. Wimbledon is predictable and really doesn't veer off the path of this type of drama. The plot is shallow & the characters are one dimensional. I never really believed Kirsten Dunst's character really wanted Paul Bettany's. I felt like a possible redeeming quality (especially for a guy) could be the competition & action of the tennis matches, but I felt like the entire idea of Wimbledon & tennis was very secondary to the love story they were trying to tell. Also, the final match was drawn out way too long with way too much build up for the less important matches. "Chicks" will probably be all over this movie, though.