Barnes & Noble

It’s still called “a game for gentlemen,” but that was even truer of golf back in 1913, when a young working-class upstart challenged one of the world’s best players in the U.S. Open. That classic match is the subject of this charming, low-key movie directed by longtime actor Bill Paxton, whose Frailty (2001) revealed him to be just as talented behind the camera as in front of it. His latest effort is no less impressive. Shia LaBeouf plays Francis Ouimet, the son of immigrants, who grows up near a Massachusetts golf course and falls in love with the game, for which he shows remarkable aptitude at an early age. Despite the protests of his hardworking father (Elias Koteas), who believes that men should stay within their own class, Francis enters the U.S. Open and competes against British champion Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), himself the product of a modest background. Although the film offers some very slight villainy in the form of Vardon’s sponsor, newspaper magnate Lord Northcliffe (Peter Firth), the principal conflict is the match itself. Anyone who has ever drowsed his or her way through a televised golf tournament will be surprised by the degree to which Paxton generates suspense from this event. He and his technical-effects people find infinite ways to show a golf ball’s passage through the air and along the ground, using different vantage points and precise editing to enhance the dramatic value of each stroke. In other ways, though, the film is fairly typical of its genre: The underdog with preternatural ability and supreme confidence rises to an inspiring challenge from more experienced, accomplished players. Still, Paxton’s inventive direction makes it more than your average Rudy wannabe. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The true story of an upset victory that helped change the sport of golf forever provides the basis for this period drama. Francis Ouimet (played by Shia LaBeouf) was born in 1893 to a working-class family in Massachusetts, and grew up fascinated by golf. However, at that time golf was considered a pastime of the wealthy and privileged, and British and Scottish players dominated the professional game. Ouimet's familial home was near the Brookline, MA, Country Club, and over the stern objections of his father, Francis got a job there as a caddy. Honing his skill in his spare time, Francis displayed a tremendous natural talent for the game and an understanding of its strategies, and 1913 he became the first amateur to play in the U.S. Open, held at the Brookline Country Club. Ouimet's presence was considered little more than a novelty at the time; Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), a British champion with six tournament victories under his belt, was considered a shoo-in to win, with Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus) his only serious competition. However, Vardon, a fellow working-class boy who had overcome tuberculosis to become Britain's premier professional golfer, had more in common with Ouimet than anyone expected, and the tournament unexpectedly became a hard-fought competition between an established star and a promising unknown. Directed by Bill Paxton in his second directorial effort, The Greatest Game Ever Played also stars Elias Koteas as Francis' father, Josh Flitter as the ten-year-old boy who becomes Francis' caddy, and Peyton List as Sarah Wallis, Francis' sweetheart. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 786936277920
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: Français
• Time: 2:01:00
• Sales Rank: 1,778

Features:

DVD MENU