Wimbledon review

2 comments | Published by Rach Read |

Would it come as any surprise to you to know that Hugh Grant was originally intended to play the lead? 

Wimbledon, the latest in a long tradition of romantic-comedies a la Four Weddings and Notting Hill, tells the story of bumbling Brit, Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), a tennis player ranked 119 in the world and on his last desperate highly unlikely shot at glory at Wimbledon.  He meets glamorous American, Lizzie Bradbury (Snaggletooth… sorry Kirsten Dunst), the new kid on court and favourite for the championship.  Needless to say, sparks fly faster than a Greg Rusedki serve and before you know it, the score of ‘Love All’ has taken on a whole new meaning.

So far, so predictable.  Yet I challenge anyone to take an active dislike to this film - true, the script may be cheesy (have there ever existed a pair of screen lovers who don’t, at some point, wish on a shooting star?!), the dialogue frequently clunky and the sentiment sugar-sweet, yet Bettany and Dunst are effortlessly charming and James McAvoy and Jon Favreau throw in a scene-stealing turns as Colt’s raffish brother and agent respectively.  The last twenty minutes is a complete delight, managing to capture the excitement and adrenalin of Wimbledon (including the obligatory rain break!) and offering a nation of hopeful Brits our closest sight of a home-grown champion in the near-distant future!

Wimbledon serves love… but lacks laughs. Ultimately, it is pure unadulterated fluff – fun fluff, but forgettable fluff all the same.