Wimbledon (2004)

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers (WGA):

Adam Brooks (written by) and
Jennifer Flackett (written by) ...

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Tennis | Wimbledon | Tennis Player | American | Love

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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	...	Court Commentator 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

Also Known As:

La plus belle victoire (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, sexuality and partial nudity.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #40763) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA (DVD rating) | Netherlands:MG6 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Firstep Productions

Trivia:

Kirsten Dunst underwent serious physical training to prepare for this role.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the final match, the shot where Jake is sitting down is mirrored. The Nike logo is reversed and the blue NSW Rugby League jersey in the background has its patches on the wrong sides.

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...

Movie Connections:

References "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Ghostwriter

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.