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Every sport has its movie, and tennis is not
exception...it has Wimbledon. A fairly simple romantic comedy,
Wimbledon follows Peter Colt (Paul Bettany from A Beautiful Mind),
a tennis pro stuck in a long losing streak and at the end of his career.
Disenchanted with the sport, and ultimately himself, Peter finds himself in
a wildcard spot in the famed Wimbledon championship. Ranked 119th, this may
be Peter's final chance to make something of his career just before
retirement.
Along the way, Peter bumps in to an
attractive, vivacious, and ambitious American, Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten
Dunst). Lizzie is a rising tennis star entering Wimbledon for the first
time, and hoping to win. Sparks fly as their romance begins to blossom, but
their relationship has some consequences. As Peter is able to hone his game
as he falls in love; Lizzie gets distracted.
Lizzie's father, Dennis (Sam Neill)
refuses to let his daughter become preoccupied with the untimely romance.
Bernard Hill ala Lord of the Rings fame as King Theoden, joins the
cast as Peter's father, Edward, the most supportive member of Peter's
family. His brother, Carl (James McAvoy) however continually bets against
Peter believing his past bad luck will pay off.
Wimbledon has every set up
for a cornball cheese fest, and to some extent it is. It's the story of the
underdog given a last chance at life and love. Its a great feel good date
movie. Paul Bettany is wonderful in the role of Peter Colt, believable and
instantly demanding your empathy. Kirsten Dunst is also pretty enjoyable in
this film, except that I demand a lot more after her marvelous role in
Interview with the Vampire at only twelve years old.
Likewise, both Bettany and Dunst
are incredibly believable as tennis pros and Wimbledon finalists. Of course
much of the congrats goes to the filmmakers and the visual effects teams.
Wimbledon's use of CGI tennis balls and bullet-time photography,
pioneered from The Matrix, make for incredible matches that are both
intense and incredibly believable. Also, being the first film crew to ever
film on center court at Wimbledon adds quite a bit to the film.
The most enjoyable aspect of this
film was in the psychology of the athletes and the game in general. Tennis
is really an incredible sport and extremely competitive. This film really
examines what goes through these athletes heads during a big match showing
how this self-talk, also called "radio head," can be the biggest challenge
as it is both distracting and self-defeating.
Wimbledon is great fun and
good roles for both Bettany and Dunst. Their screen chemistry is magic, and
they should team up again. Likewise, director Richard Loncraine did a very
fine job. Pick this movie up...you might be surprised. |
