Wimbledon (2004)

Director: Richard Loncraine
Writer: Adam Brooks, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill, Jon Favreau, Austin Nichols,
Genre: Rom-Com, Sport, Drama

Wimbledon have been a personal candle favorite for quite a while, and I'm not ashamed to say I've seen it several times before. There's just something about Kirsten, there's something about how well this part suits Bettany and there's something charming and almost electric about the way both the movie is told and the chemistry between our main characters.

Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst) is the young American tennis-pro headed for the stars on the back of her amazing talent and her hard work. Peter Colt (Bettany) is the experienced British pro, once ranked 11th, now 119th. He's got a wild card to the national pride, Wimbledon, and it's his last tournament before retiring from tennis to a quiet job at a private club teaching old ladies how to play the game. He's heading into the tournament without ambition, while Lizzie is coming to England to win her first major. Their worlds couldn't have been further apart within the same circus, but then they coincidentally meet.

What Wimbledon lacks in originality, it more than ways up for by it's British charm, it's American attitude and the before mentioned elements of almost magical chemistry. I'm a sucker for the genre in general, but this one in particular I'm very soft about. Both Peter and Lizzie are great characters, the focus on ambition within such a competitive sport is uplifting and the cultural differences are well taken care of, but most of all the way the story is told is a major reason why I like it so much. A personal favorite within the limitations of the genre.