Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany and Sam Neill
Director: Richard Loncraine
Rated: M15+
IT’S not often that a film production company becomes famous in its own right.
By their nature, producers are meant to be the powerful ones behind the scenes.
The makers of Wimbledon are Working Title Productions, and they are famous for taking the world by storm with, what once were, smaller budget films shot in England.
With hits like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Notting Hill and Love Actually to their credit, one can see how their reputation has been built.
If you liked these films, then chances are you are going to enjoy Wimbledon because there is something formulaic about Working Title’s take on the romantic comedy. ‘When you’re on a good thing …’
Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) is an English tennis player, from a wealthy dysfunctional family, who has never realised his sporting potential. His highest ranking was 111 – for two weeks.
Peter gets a wild card entry into Wimbledon. He decides that this will be his last tournament, and expects to go out in the first round.
American Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) is the up and coming star of the women’s circuit. This is her first Wimbledon. Winning is everything.
She makes no friends among the other players and spends most of her time with her overly protective father Dennis (Sam Neill).
In an unlikely scenario, Peter and Lizzie meet and fall in love, but who will survive the tennis tournament and the battle of romance?
After watching Wimbledon in the wee hours of the morning, Australians have more than a passing investment in it.
No doubt there were major constraints placed on the producers by the stuffy All England Tennis Club, and even though they shot some scenes during a recent championship, the aficionados will notice all sorts of mistakes.
Semi-finals are played on outside courts, the players don’t bow to the Royal Box when they come out on the centre court, the umpire for the final is not an Englishman and there is no one in the front rows of the Royal Box in a tense third set of the final.
And for all the work Pat Cash put in as a consultant to the tennis action in this film and the fine editing, we still have to suspend disbelief about two movie stars being tennis champions.
But Wimbledon is not a tennis documentary. It is a romantic comedy, and on that score it fulfils the bill nicely.
Paul Bettany has a wonderfully expressive face and is an excellent actor. Kirsten Dunst’s girly character emotionally swings as far as her racquet, but each time she rises to the challenge.
Sam Neill’s acting is fine but his American accent is less than convincing. English veterans Eleanor Bron and Bernard Hill are outstanding as Peter’s parents.
Director Richard Loncraine’s background in making commercials shows to great effect in this film. He and editor Humphrey Dixon get the balance and the rhythm between the romance and the action sequences just right. The 100 minutes whistle along.
This film has some brief nudity and crudity which will offend some viewers.
Wimbledon is not rocket science, and may primarily appeal to tennis fans, but it is surprisingly moving, appropriately tense and funny.
