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, Jon Favreau

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	...	John McEnroe
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 through 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 | mini skirt | miniskirt | short skirt | 

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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

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 USA:

$7,118,985, 19 September 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,001,133, 11 November 2004

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,512,007

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

In a shot of the film that was filmed in Brighton, the door on the rounded corner of the houses is in fact painted on.

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Goofs

Set in summertime, but when Lizzie and Peter are around London, many trees have leaves that have either changed color or fallen off.

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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

Referenced in Top Gear: Episode #13.6 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Stay Don't Go
(Daniel)
Performed by Spoon
Courtesy of 12XU and Merge

User Reviews

Serviceable Romantic Comedy

"Wimbledon" is another one of those agreeable, English-flavored romantic comedies which in years past would have starred a stammering Hugh Grant. This time the principals are professional tennis players and the setting is Wimbledon. Paul Bettany makes for a good romantic lead in the Grant mold without the latter's sometimes annoying cloying and also is convincing as a tennis player at the tail end of his career. But Kirsten Dunst, the love interest, while giving a very likable performance, does not look her part. She also is not helped by the screenplay, which does not present her as a particularly compelling match. In fact, the character seems more like one that usually would be set up as the rival, missing the elements of the "intended". Further causing the film to come across less than compelling: Every character, save one, is nice, making it nearly conflict-free. Not a waste of time, but nothing memorable, "Wimbledon" is a tension-free, pick-me-up: The movie equivalent of a lightly-flavored carbonated water: effervescent, but lacking any distinct taste.