Wimbledon (2004)

A pro tennis player has lost his ambition and has fallen in rank to 119. Fortunately for him, he meets a young player on the women's circuit who helps him recapture his focus for Wimbledon.

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

Adam Brooks, Jennifer Flackett,

Stars:

Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirsten Dunst	...	Lizzie Bradbury
Paul Bettany	...	Peter Colt
Sam Neill	...	Dennis Bradbury
Jon Favreau	...	Ron Roth
Bernard Hill	...	Edward Colt
Eleanor Bron	...	Augusta Colt
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Dieter Prohl
Austin Nichols	...	Jake Hammond
Robert Lindsay	...	Ian Frazier
James McAvoy	...	Carl Colt
John McEnroe	...	Himself
Chris Evert	...	Court Commentator Chris Evert
Mary Carillo	...	Court Commentator Mary Carillo
John Barrett	...	Court Commentator John Barrett
Kyle Hyde	...	Monte Carlo Opponent

Storyline

Peter Colt, an English tennis player in his thirties whose ranking slipped from 11th to 119th in the world, considers he never really had to fight for anything as his wealthy but all but close family easily put him trough studies and allowed him to pursue his tennis ambitions, bravely exchanges jokes with his German sparring partner Dieter Prohl, in a similar position, but feels it's about time to admit he's getting too old to compete with fitter coming men (or boys) and intends, after a last Wimbledon, to take a job with the prestigious tennis club instead. Just then, by accident, he bumps into Lizzie Bradbury, the American rising star of female tennis, falls in love with her and finds her interest in him changes his entire perception, even gives him the strength to win again. But where will it lead them, especially when her overprotective father-manager Dennis Bradbury proves determined to nip their relationship in the bud, believing it detrimental to her career?

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Plot Keywords:

tennis | wimbledon | tennis player | american | love | 

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Taglines:

She's the golden girl. He's the longshot. It's a match made in...

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, sexuality and partial nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

UK France USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wimbledon - Spiel, Satz und... Liebe

Filming Locations:

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$158,081 (Brazil) (22 October 2004)

Gross:

$280,588 (Brazil) (29 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point, Reese Witherspoon was supposed to play the female lead.

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Goofs

In Colt's second round match against Dragomir, his voiceover claims that he only won 3 games, however the umpire clearly states that Dragomir leads 3 games to 2 and by 2 sets to 1. This means that Colt had to have won at least 8 games by this point.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Peter Colt: [voiceover] We all start off in life with a dream, don't we? For a tennis player, it's being in the final of a Grand Slam, Centre Court, a high lob... a smash. Game, set and match. You're a champion. You're number one. But for most tennis players, that's all it ever is: a dream. The reality is another story. My story. Now, you see that good-looking fella? No, no that kid in white, the other tired good-looking fella. Yeah, him. Well, that's me. British Davis Cup, long time ago. Two ...

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Crazy Credits

Dedicated to Mark McCormack 1930-2003

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Connections

References Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Ghostwriter"
(Krohn)
Performed by RJD2
Courtesy of Definitive Jux, Inc.

User Reviews

Sparkling, Witty Sports Rom/Com

I've been waiting to see this movie since I first heard about the shoot. I love Wimbledon the place, but was also suitably impressed by Wimbledon the movie.

It's been compared to my other favourite sports rom/com 'The Cutting Edge' and I definitely agree. The basic story has been done - washed up pro finds romance with upcoming new star and gets his second wind - but that doesn't mean that it can't be done again, and done well.

Paul Bettany was excellent and I was much happier to see him than Hugh Grant, and Kirsten Dunst played the competitive brat well.

The script had some genuinely funny moments, with Jon Favreau stealing some of the best lines.

We all know how the movie will turn out at the end, but this does nothing to detract from it on the whole. Brain power is not required to watch this film, but that makes it all the more enjoyable.

I eagerly await the DVD release and give Wimbledon 9/10.