The Greatest Game Ever Played
THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED (2005): 3 stars out of 4. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Stephen Dillane, Elias Koteas, Josh Flitter, Peyton List, Marnie McPhail, Stephen Marcus, Peter Firth, George Asprey, Max Kasch, Michael Weaver, Luke Askew and Matthew Knight. Screenplay by Mark Frost, based on his book. Directed by Bill Paxton. Rated PG. Running time: 115 minutes.
With apologies to golf fans, the game, inherently, is a boring sport cinematically, that is.
Movies are called motion pictures and the motion in golf is limited to the participants walking from tee to green.
Even following the flight of the ball is nothing more than a panning camera.
But actor Bill Paxton, making another stab at directing after his undeservedly ignored debut, Frailty, has overcome those difficulties in Disney's The Greatest Game Ever Played.
The movie, set in the early years of the 20th century, tells the story of a battle at the 1913 U.S. Open between a young American amateur, Francis Ouimet, and six-time British Open champion Harry Vardon.
Paxton, wisely, has directed a movie that is more than about golf. It also is a social commentary on class and overcoming social barriers.
At the turn of the 20th century, golf was considered a 'gentlemen's sport, restricted to the upper class who played in private clubs.
Lower class youths worked as caddies or waiters in the dining rooms, and it was unthinkable to actually allow one to pick up a club and play.
This snobbishness even extended to champions such as Vardon, who could represent a British club while playing in the U.S. Open, but was not allowed to join because he, too, was from the lower class.
The movie, though, centers on Francis. He is a young man with a passion for golf; acquiring a burning desire to play the game ever since, as a boy, he saw a demonstration by Vardon.
However, he is continually rebuffed in his goal because of society's strict barriers. Francis' talent eventually overcomes many of these obstacles including the objections of his hard-nosed father and he finally duels his hero at the U.S. Open.
The outcome, though known, since the movie is based on actual events, is filled with suspense since only the most knowledgeable golf historians will probably recall these events.
Greatest Game continues Disney's theme of presenting true, inspirational, family-oriented sports stories. They've already brought to the screen Remember the Titans (football), The Rookie (baseball) and Miracle (ice hockey).
Greatest Game fits nicely into this newly-created film package.
Paxton's use of CGI to follow the flight of golf balls keeps Greatest Game from becoming static. He has a wonderful eye, creating many point-of-view shots from the golfers' perspectives as they concentrate on the fairway and where they aim their drives and putts.
Mark Frost's screenplay does go a little overboard on the class consciousness issue, but not so much that it unbalances the movie.
Shia LaBeouf, who starred in Disney's Holes, is enthusiastic as Francis, while Stephen Dillane brings a sense of dignity and simmering resentment to his Harry Vardon.
The only false note is struck by young Josh Flitter as Eddie Lowery, Francis' overeager caddie. His vernacular and behavior is too contemporary, but I suspect that is merely a concession to hold the interest of younger viewers.
At nearly two hours, the movie is a bit too long and repetitious. Yet it's emotional finale will grab you. The Greatest Game Ever Played doesn't make any holes in one, but it is the equivalent of a cinematic birdie.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site: www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
