Review of Wimbledon (2004) by Doctor S — 22 Oct 2013

Satisfactory romance between tennis players gets a big lift from superior cast, including stars Bettany & Dunst, and distinctly Jon Favreau as his opportunistic agent. There is one substantial surprise along the way, and is more creatively cinematic than I'd expected during some impressive tennis scenes.

Disappointing though not unexpected is the rote reliance on "the big game" as a climax, spending an imprudently excessive 20 minutes, forgetting what the movie is really about. When the focus is on the people, then Wimbledon scores a point; strangely I most liked observing the amiably adversarial friendship between Bettany and training partner Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

And anytime you get a cheery Dunst in a skirt or shorts, that's a definite serving advantage.