Wimbledon--a romantic tale about a washed-up tennis player finding love
with an on-the-rise tennis star--unfortunately elicits about as much
excitement as watching a video match of Pong. Point. Set. Match.
Story
Love
means never having to say you're sorry; it's a many splendored thing; it's
all you need. But in tennis, love means zero; it means you lose. Or does
it? For Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), a British pro tennis player seeded near
the bottom of the world tennis ranks, love actually inspires him. After
scoring a wild card to play in the prestigious Wimbledon tournament, he
meets and falls for the rising and highly competitive American tennis star
Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), fueling a winning streak he hasn't had
since he began his career. For Lizzie, however, the love thing doesn't
necessarily work out as well. Her feelings for Peter become a distraction,
throwing her off her game. Hmmm. Can these two crazy kids keep it together
long enough so Peter can fulfill his lifelong dream of winning the men's
singles title, even if it means his muse might have to sacrifice her first
Wimbledon title?
Acting
Kirsten Dunst may be what draws you in but Paul Bettany is the reason
you don't walk out. The British actor, who made an impression with
American audiences playing the oh-so-witty Chaucer in A Knight's Tale and
then wowed them in Oscar winners such as A Beautiful Mind and Master and
Commander, doesn't disappoint in his first lead role. Bettany's Peter
embodies all that charm we've come to love and expect in our British
actors--although thankfully not as floppy as Hugh Grant--he stumbles about
and apologizes profusely. It's so cute. And he makes a pretty darn
believable tennis player to boot (one would hope so after the intense
training session the actors apparently had to go through to prepare for
the movie). Unfortunately, Dunst does not fare as well. Her Lizzie is
appealing, and she adequately handles the tennis stuff--but she ultimately
fails to connect with her male lead, making their relationship seem
forced. Their beginning sparks are fun but when there's suppose to be a
real flame igniting between them, you're left scratching your head,
wondering just when, where and why they fell in love so hard, so fast.
Yep, that's a big red flag.
Direction
I've said sports movies usually work. To clarify: That is, team sports.
Sport movies where the action revolves around a single competitor are
harder to pull off. It's just not as exciting watching an underdog
struggle with himself in order to win. Luckily, director Richard Loncraine
(HBO's My House in Umbria) seems to know this fact. Even though Peter
takes Centre Court (that's the British way of spelling it), Loncraine
tries to at least create a more complete picture, giving us a glimpse into
the world of tennis as well as delving into the traditions of Wimbledon
and how the Brits feel about the prestigious tournament, where British
champions are few and far between. Loncraine also utilizes real-life
tennis pros, such as John McEnroe and Chris Evert, who appear as
announcers, to liven up the proceedings. Even the action on the court,
with close-up shots of the ball whizzing over the net, gets the blood
pumping a little--wish there was a lot more of that. But then, of course,
one could just turn on the TV and watch the real Wimbledon, instead
watching a silly, run-of-the-mill romantic comedy set there.
Bottom Line
Even with an appealing Paul Bettany on the back line, Wimbledon's
cross-court love match mostly fumbles along rather than running up to the
net for the kill shot. (How about that for a bunch of tennis clichés?)
