Phantom Of The Open
There are few movies where I can genuinely say I laughed till I cried, but there were two hysterical spots in this movie that were so funny I thought I was going to wet myself. I can assure you this is not a normal response from this jaded hack so this movie must have been exceptional.
Maurice Flitcroft , played by Mark Rylance (not a fan) was a crane driver who facing redundancy and having some free time now his family had grown up, decided to enter the British Open Golf Championship, as nothing less than a professional player, when he had never hit a golf ball. A not dissimilar predicament to Eddie-The-Eagle Edwards and his skiing.
Of course he was terrible, appalling and practically a one man rabble around the greens, but the British love both an underdog and a tryer so he captured the public imagination and became famous overnight.
It was a brilliant script that moved from pathos, to farce, to slapstick and back again with ease. The dialogue between the characters was masterful in capturing a genuine warmness and humanity between the Flitcroft family members.
It was very much a brilliant ensemble performance, Mark Rylance, from the minimalist school, did predictably little, however this was perfectly in tune, for once, with the character being portrayed.
This movie was a total gem, it is a very British story for a British audience, it is not about golf at all but about giving it a go in life and following your dreams and as Maurice said "practice makes perfect".
I'm giving this a 10 outta 10 for making me laugh and cry and the same time!
There are few movies where I can genuinely say I laughed till I cried, but there were two hysterical spots in this movie that were so funny I thought I was going to wet myself. I can assure you this is not a normal response from this jaded hack so this movie must have been exceptional.
Maurice Flitcroft , played by Mark Rylance (not a fan) was a crane driver who facing redundancy and having some free time now his family had grown up, decided to enter the British Open Golf Championship, as nothing less than a professional player, when he had never hit a golf ball. A not dissimilar predicament to Eddie-The-Eagle Edwards and his skiing.
Of course he was terrible, appalling and practically a one man rabble around the greens, but the British love both an underdog and a tryer so he captured the public imagination and became famous overnight.
It was a brilliant script that moved from pathos, to farce, to slapstick and back again with ease. The dialogue between the characters was masterful in capturing a genuine warmness and humanity between the Flitcroft family members.
It was very much a brilliant ensemble performance, Mark Rylance, from the minimalist school, did predictably little, however this was perfectly in tune, for once, with the character being portrayed.
This movie was a total gem, it is a very British story for a British audience, it is not about golf at all but about giving it a go in life and following your dreams and as Maurice said "practice makes perfect".
I'm giving this a 10 outta 10 for making me laugh and cry and the same time!