The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

The Greatest Game Ever Played is a typical underdog story, similar in plot to the likes of Rocky. It’s about golf though, which is a sport that has only recently been tackled in films. This is possibly because it’s not seen as being as exciting as other sports, as it goes at a slow pace. As golf gets more and more popular though, it is steadily becoming an acceptable subject for film, with films like The Legend of Bagger Vance and Tin Cup appearing, to name but a few.

This underdog film follows the true story of the 1913 US Golf Open, when against all odds, twenty year old american amateur Francis Ouimet (Shia Lebeouf) defeated English champion Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), who was favourite to win. It’s a legendary story, because in America at this time, golf was still viewed as an elitist sport that only gentleman could play. Francis Ouimet was from a relatively poor family, and under normally circumstances wouldn’t even have been allowed to play in the open. The opportunity was given to him by chance, when the President of the United States Golf Association decided he wanted to add a local amateur to the field, and a board member recommended Francis, after having seen him play before.

No-one initially sees Francis as a threat, but his name rises speedily up the scoreboard as the championship goes on, until he is eventually tied with respected English players Vardon and Ted Ray. He becomes America’s only hope of winning the trophy, and preventing an all-English final. Papers are printing his story round the clock, and hopes are pinned on him. His own father though, is not so keen for him to win, as he believes in an honest living and thinks the game is a waste of time. There is a touching moment towards the close of the film, when he finally decides to stand by his son and joins in with the cheering crowds, thereby putting aside his own pride.

This film is without doubt the best golf film I have seen, and can be enjoyed by both golf fans and non-golf lovers alike, as it never gets too technical about the sport itself. That’s not to say it forgets about the elements involved in the game of golf, as each actor has clearly trained to perfect their swings and look like the professionals they’re portraying. Also, cuts to the score board repeatedly present us with golf rules and procedures. All these elements are presented in an entertaining way though, as director Bill Paxton evidently didn’t want to alienate viewers.

We see shots of golf balls being hit from the perspective of a ladybird for example, who perches herself on top of the ball just before it is struck. There are also shots when the camera appears to be going at the same speed as the ball itself,emphasising the power that it must have been hit with. Such shots, accompanied by an impressive score by Bryan Tyler really carries the scenes along.

There are some shining performances in the film and all the characers are convincing in their roles. Youngster Josh Flitter is particuarly easy to warm to as Francis’ wise-beyond-his-years caddy, and the friendship between the two boys seems completely genuine. Stephen Dillane is easy to picture as ‘the stylist’ Harry Vardon, as he’s so charismatic, it’s difficult to take your eyes off him whenever he’s on screen. Fetching as she is, Peyton list seems like an unnecessary part of the film in the role of sort-of love interest Sarah Wallis. It’s not that she does anything wrong, it’s just she doesn’t add anything. It seems that Francis would be playing just as well without her present, so she may as well not be there. This is only a small criticism though.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable film about what you can achieve when you give your dreams a chance to become reality.

Director: Bill Paxton

Cast: Shia Labeouf, Elis Koteas, Stephen Dillane, Josh Flitter

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