Simply put I have tennis on the mind as of late. I have previously alluded to my love of tennis and tied it into films that feature the sport prominently. Now, I would like to take the opportunity to take a closer look at one of my favorite films in this area – the 2004 romantic comedy Wimbledon starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany and directed by Richard Loncraine.
The film is primarily seen from Peter Colt’s (Bettany’s) perspective. He is a professional tennis player in his waning years – in fact, after his participation in the upcoming Wimbledon tournament (he gets into tournament as a wildcard), he has plans to retire and work as a pro at a posh tennis club.
A ‘happy accident’ leads to Peter bumping into brash American upstart Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst). Sparks fly but the course of true love never did run smoothly. An overbearing tennis parent (in the form of Sam Neill), sees his daughter’s budding interest with Mr. Colt as an impedance to the glory on grass that (obviously) awaits. Add to the mix the pressure of the Wimbledon competition and you have a recipe for several peaks and valleys before our film reaches its satisfying climax.
Although Wimbledon is a fairly straightforward tale, it is a winner in my book down to a well-written script and solid performances from the leads and supporting characters. Of note are Jon Favreau as Peter’s opportunistic sports agent and James McAvoy as Peter’s ne’er do well younger brother, Carl. Also having been filmed in and around London and Brighton does not hurt either 🙂
* be sure to visit Todd Mason’s blog for more great overlooked titles!
Diana aka Aziza says
One of my favorite romantic comedies ever- Britishlocations, Paul Bettany and tennis? Winning 🙂 great write-up
Scott Lawlor says
I always blush when I think of this movie or see Dunst in the tennis gear…. the reason?
After watching this film I had a very vivid saucy dream featuring Miss Dunst… hehehe Very saucy indeed!
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iluvcinema says
Cheeky 😉
iluvcinema says
Game, set, match WIMBLEDON!
ruth says
I’m not a big Bettany fan nor tennis, so perhaps that’s why this film eluded me. Glad you enjoyed this though, Iba.
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iluvcinema says
Can’t win them all Ruth 🙂
Kristen says
This is a guilty pleasure movie for sure. Anything with Paul Bettany is worth my time.
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iluvcinema says
He is definitely worth the price of admission but at the same time vastly underused.
sati says
I really like this one – charming comedy and Bettany and Dunst had very nice chemistry together.
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