WIMBLEDON
US/UK, 2004, 99 minutes, Colour.
Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill, Jon Favreaux, Bernard Hill, Eleanor Bron, Nikolaj Coster- Waldau, Austin Nicholls, Robert Lindsay, James Mc Evoy, John Mc Enroe, Chris Evert, Celia Imrie.
Directed by Richard Loncraine.
This is a Saturday night out movie, a wishful thinking kind of movie where wildcard draws can win the title at Wimbledon and couples can fall in sex and love over the championship fortnight – and live happily ever after in a nuclear family doing good for the underprivileged in the US urban neighbourhoods. This is a mixture of the trite and the serious-minded, pretty pictures of London and ‘romantic’ behaviour.
What makes it more watchable than it deserves are the central performances by Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst. At 31, he is over the hill, described as a ‘journeyman’ player, but with dreams and ambitions that have never been achieved yet quite a sympathetic man. She is a vivacious champion with a killer instinct who needs to get away from the clutches of one of those terrible tennis fathers (in this case, Sam Neill).
The tennis is quite interesting, especially the final match, well edited and paced to make it look both impossible and credible. And with Chris Evert and John Mc Enroe, especially, doing commentary that sounds exactly like the real thing, it has the feel of the real thing.
So that is what life is like behind the scenes, the glitter and the paparazzi… As if!
1.The title and expectations?
2.Sport, romance, the blend, the tone?
3.The London locations, Wimbledon itself, the scenic tour of London? The prettiness of London? The musical score?
4.The status of Wimbledon in the tennis world, the matches, the visualising of the matches, stunt work, editing work?
5.Peter’s voice-over, the apologetic Englishman, his career, his being a journeyman, lack of success? The contrast with the aggressive American woman?
6.The world of tennis, the credits and the audience watching? Peter and his career, Liz and her career? Practice bouts, the status of each of the players, Peter as a wild card at Wimbledon? The tournament itself, the variety of matches, skills in playing, chance and luck, injuries, anger with the umpire? Winning, defeat? The response of the crowds? Victory?
7.Behind the scenes, coaches and partners, careers and reputations, clashes amongst the players, friendships? The boards? The dressing rooms? The press, the photographers?
8.Peter in himself, thirty, his self-appreciation, low estimate of himself? The end of his career, going to the club, meeting the women, the manager of the club, the prospect of his job? One hundred and nineteenth? The wild card? His relationship with his brother – and his brother betting against him? His visiting his parents, their clash, bonding together because of him? The wrong room at the hotel, Liz in the shower, later meeting her, sharing, meals, talk, sexual relationship, falling in love? Her father’s disapproval of him? The weekend in the country with Liz? Her father coming, the press and the photographers? Her leaving him, his visiting the townhouse, climbing in the window, the wrong room, the dog? Her loss and his blaming himself? Her coming to his support? Imagining a future – the visualising of the future?
9.Liz, age and experience, her divorced parents, the protection of her father, his strict regime, stern manner? Her wanting to win, the matches, her angers? Her falling in love, with Peter, the weekend, with her father, going back with him, his sternness? Her loss, her anger? Peter’s criticism of her dropping her arm with the serve and her father’s agreement? At the airport, going to Wimbledon, supporting him? The happy ever after?
10.The portrait of Liz’s father, demanding, ever present, training, the touch of the ogre? The confrontation with Peter? Getting Liz back from the weekend? His relationship with his daughter, her defeat, Peter’s comments about her serve? The airport, his changing his mind?
11.Peter’s family, Carl, his girlfriends, his gambling? The mother and father? The father in the tree house, the mother in the garden, the long clashes between them? Feigning lack of interest? Their support of Peter, individually? The meal and the mother’s demands on the family to be together? The match, the reconciliation with the father? Their presence at Wimbledon and the final?
12.The club, the manager, the women – and Peter’s going to be coach? His not having to go there after all?
13.The picture of the commentators, John Mc Enroe and Chris Evert? Mc Enroe and his acidic comments, reference to his own performances? His making the fiction seem real?
14.The idealism of the end? Hopes? The ordinary players, their angers, loves, winning? The happy ever after family, training the children in the poor neighbourhood?
