The Greatest Game Ever Played

The Greatest Game Ever Played_360P

So overrated, Bill Paxton, this is NOTHING like FRAILTY, which I found a great film, but like I said, this film is way too overrated. I saw this movie in theatres and nearly fell asleep, I found out how horrible it was when I saw how long and boring it was. First of all, Mr. LABOFF never really becomes a golf player anyway, he just becomes a Business man. Disney, stop making awful films like this. And stop making crap that's BASED ONA TRUE STORY because with the exception of MONSTER, true stories are never really good films, they're pretty much dull and it takes out the creativity of a writer's talent. Give up, Disney, give up...

From the folks who brought us 'The Rookie', 'Remember the Titans' as well as lesser known 'Miracle' comes a true story about golf. he scene is set at the end of the 19th Century, a time of change, then fills in social, historical and personal context over two dozen years that builds to perfection to the 1913 US Open championship, which sorts through a tough field to a playoff between the worlds best and an unknown local talent diverted from his eventual career in business. Pitted against each other the two share some backstory. Each has inner demons to contend with: The reigning champion, Britain's Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) who still is considered among the best ever but cannot secure membership in England's clubs. The young amateur, Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf), from across the street and a working-class, immigrant family. Director Bill Paxton succeeds in a number of ways to blend and balance. One is the way he presents the parents with understanding. Mother (Marnie McPhail) and father, Elias Koteas in a finely tuned performance by the only known name in a capable ensemble, grapple with refreshing compassion. Modern sensibilities often get in the way of historical accuracies; not so here. With shades of international intrigue, Greatest Game is rooted in the struggles of common people to rise above station and means. Young Ouimet (Matthew Knight) grows to love the sport as he chips into the household coffers from his experience as caddy to the members of the country club across the street. Heckled as 'caddy boy' by his more privileged classmates, he wins the state high school championship. Ouimet is then recruited to seek the US Open to the chagrin of his father who knows more in his eyes than he speaks. His mother takes him shopping on the day Vardon is holding an exhibition and the later drama is foretold in a brief lesson from the compassionate champion that wounds the boy in a way that will arm him with an inner courage that he will need. In a rare accomplishment, the inner game of golf is captured effectively while adding to the storyline rather than detract. Expect to hear bits of golfing ideologue from the movie in your next foursome. The production values are excellent and somehow the choice use of outstanding special effects doesn't get in the way. Have you ever followed the arc of a driven golf ball into the sky wondering about its perspective? Well, now you can know. It's every bit as fun as you can imagine. Greatest Game is a great golf story, getting the game right, but also works on multiple levels. (Perhaps the reason an informal exit poll of couples from the sneak preview revealed unanimous satisfaction.) The look into Vardon as preeminent British golfer who can't even get into the country clubs on which he plays due to longstanding class prejudices, offset by the Brookline amateur upstart who can't get the game out of his system, has all the right supporting pieces that includes a capable cast, rich cinematography that evokes the personal as well as the historical period. With a healthy sense of humour, romance and a human drama of pursuing sporting dreams with the days' stark realities placed in sharp but rich bas relief, 'Greatest Game' scores well as a date movie. The only weaknesses are small deficiencies in the script and a false note in the first steps of romance. Nothing that gets in the way of the good time. 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' opens September 30th. -/-

Let me go ahead and clear this up - no, The Greatest Game Ever Played is not about the time I led my softball team to victory by knocking in the winning run with a triple. Instead, it's about golf. More specifically, it's based on the book that's based on the true story of Frances Ouimet. The story is so simple that even a Tennessee Vols fan can follow it - boy loves golf, boy becomes caddy, boy begins to play golf, dad isn't happy because he thinks it's a waste of time, boy miraculously overcomes insanely enormous odds, movie gives audience a bunch of warm and fuzzy feelings, the end. I'll leave it to you to guess the outcome and whether the boy's father eventually accepts his son following his dream. This is one of those movies that will absolutely thrill its target audience. If you love golf or Disney-produced underdog movies then you'll enjoy this one. For me, it's one of those movies that's good for one viewing. I enjoyed it, but it was a little slow-paced at times, and since I already knew the outcome of the match I wasn't completely enthralled with the tension that Bill Paxton tries to derive by following a golf ball on its arduous journey to the hole. However, others in the audience would clap wildly at every long putt that was sunk. I have to point out that I didn't find the fat little 10-year-old caddy as cute as most everybody else in the audience. He had some funny moments, but his little one-liners grated my nerves: "easy peasey, lemon squeezey;" "okey dokey, pipe n' smokey;" "read it, roll it, and hole it." Sure, the audience guffawed with overdone laughter, but it just seemed to me that this was an attempt to create some new catchphrases for people all over the world to start using on golf courses. I pray that doesn't happen. Allow me to introduce my own catchphrase to whoever thought these annoying lines were cute enough to put into the movie: shovey wovey up your butty. Hey, I never said I'm all that mature.

I think this movie is a quality film and definitely worth watching. The story was engaging, the cinematography and effects were a lot of fun and turned even 'normal' scenes into interesting eye candy. I didn't read the book and have yet to research the characters, but I look forward to checking into the story and seeing how accurately the film portrayed it. i've only played golf once, but this movie inspires me to play again. I sat up near the front row, because the theater was full, but was glad I did because the film was very beautiful in a lot of ways. It obviously had its emotional parts to it, but it was a true story, and the director did a great job of telling that story.

Well, well, Paxton is saying to himself, I can try to go whole hog and make a really terrific movie about golf, keeping a true grip on it, or shamelessly exploit the kiddies, the many many little tykes that the big people will take to see this baby. And, hell, they are easy to fool. So, is there really any choice. Nope. Okay kids, you got it. Even though you don't understand the word, laddies, this is gonna be a really meretricious piece of hokum that will fool you all the way. It is too. But a warning should be issued for anybody over 15 and or 5 feet tall: don't believe a single instant of this tale supposedly torn from life. It is as rife with anachronism as a summer porch in the Midwest is with flies, and reflects what actually went on at that famous Open just about like a funhouse mirror on wheels. If you want a really good feel good sports movie, catch Seabiscut again. Much much better hokum. Meanwhile, there still has not been a really accurate golf movie ever made, unless msynr in some parallel universe. This one only does have the feel of something being played with a little white ball over lotsa grass on LSD. But the kids will love it.

Bill Paxton has taken the true story of the 1913 US golf open and made a film that is about much more than an extra-ordinary game of golf. The film also deals directly with the class tensions of the early twentieth century and touches upon the profound anti-Catholic prejudices of both the British and American establishments. But at heart the film is about that perennial favourite of triumph against the odds. The acting is exemplary throughout. Stephen Dillane is excellent as usual, but the revelation of the movie is Shia LaBoeuf who delivers a disciplined, dignified and highly sympathetic performance as a working class Franco-Irish kid fighting his way through the prejudices of the New England WASP establishment. For those who are only familiar with his slap-stick performances in "Even Stevens" this demonstration of his maturity is a delightful surprise. And Josh Flitter as the ten year old caddy threatens to steal every scene in which he appears. A old fashioned movie in the best sense of the word: fine acting, clear directing and a great story that grips to the end - the final scene an affectionate nod to Casablanca is just one of the many pleasures that fill a great movie.

As a recreational golfer with some knowledge of the sport's history, I was pleased with Disney's sensitivity to the issues of class in golf in the early twentieth century. The movie depicted well the psychological battles that Harry Vardon fought within himself, from his childhood trauma of being evicted to his own inability to break that glass ceiling that prevents him from being accepted as an equal in English golf society. Likewise, the young Ouimet goes through his own class struggles, being a mere caddie in the eyes of the upper crust Americans who scoff at his attempts to rise above his standing. What I loved best, however, is how this theme of class is manifested in the characters of Ouimet's parents. His father is a working-class drone who sees the value of hard work but is intimidated by the upper class; his mother, however, recognizes her son's talent and desire and encourages him to pursue his dream of competing against those who think he is inferior. Finally, the golf scenes are well photographed. Although the course used in the movie was not the actual site of the historical tournament, the little liberties taken by Disney do not detract from the beauty of the film. There's one little Disney moment at the pool table; otherwise, the viewer does not really think Disney. The ending, as in "Miracle," is not some Disney creation, but one that only human history could have written.

I saw this film in a sneak preview, and it is delightful. The cinematography is unusually creative, the acting is good, and the story is fabulous. If this movie does not do well, it won't be because it doesn't deserve to. Before this film, I didn't realize how charming Shia Lebouf could be. He does a marvelous, self-contained, job as the lead. There's something incredibly sweet about him, and it makes the movie even better. The other actors do a good job as well, and the film contains moments of really high suspense, more than one might expect from a movie about golf. Sports movies are a dime a dozen, but this one stands out. This is one I'd recommend to anyone.

The Greatest Game Ever Played loses points for having a terrible title. But it is an inspirational "true" story from Walt Disney studios and so every inch of melodrama is squeezed from it accompanied by appropriately "swelling" music. Which is not to say I didn't like the movie. I did enjoy it for what it was. As a person who golfs it was both interesting and frustrating to see how golf was played in the early part of the century but much more could have been done with the game of golf itself in the film. (I think that non-golfers who don't know the game will find it hard to keep track of who is ahead in the matches which is a problem in the film's editing.) Instead, the story concentrates on two sub plots. The conflict between Shia LaBeouf and his father Elias Koteas. Shia is a natural golfer but his father is totally against it. The other sub plot is the desire to win back the US Open cup for England. This pits world famous champion Stephen Dillane against influential lords who are portrayed as gross, oyster-slurping, upper-class snobs. There is also a small love story aside between Shia and Payton List. A standout in the film is little Josh Flitter who plays Shia's plucky caddy in a comic relief role which I found amusing but other may find annoying. As for the film-making, the colors of the film are muted which gives it a nice look and since it's a period piece the costumes are interesting. Since golf itself is not very visually exciting the director chose to use Matrix style visuals such as having the camera fly behind the golf ball as it sails to the hole accompanied by a really huge swishing sound. There is one shot as if taken underneath glass looking up at a putt. If you can forgive the melodramatic musical swells, you can find this film an enjoyable 2 hours and if you have any interest in golf it's one of the few movies about golf. If you are in the mood for an underdog film this one makes par.