I didn't see this film in theaters because, well, it really seems like a chick-flick and I can only take so many of those before my head explodes. On the other hand, I'm far more willing to watch movies on DVD, so if I hate it at least I can make snide comments to my girlfriend without insulting the sensitive ears of the public.

So is Wimbledon a run-of-the-mill chick flick? In many ways yes, but far less so than I expected. I hate to admit it, but there were sequences in this film I actually enjoyed, and the parts I tend to roll my eyes at were far more tolerable than they could have been. Maybe it's the british thing - they can do the sappy routine in a way that doesn't seem nearly as trite. It's like Notting Hill - set in the U.S. that film probably would have been horrible, but set in London the humor has more wit behind it and that makes the in-your-face romance stuff easier to digest because you don't feel like you're intelligence is being insulted. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one who thinks this.

Anyway, Wimbledon does offer its share of witty humor that ultimately makes the film...dare I say...somewhat enjoyable, mostly thanks to our slightly bitter narrator played by Paul Bettany. He's a burnout tennis player who never really met his potential, but as he falls in love with a U.S. tennis star (Kirsten Dunst) during his final grand slam tournament, his game comes to life. Oh, sure, there's all of the normal stuff you'd expect, such as the rival player who's a dick head and used to date our hero's new girlfriend, but there's not so much of this stuff that you want to throw a pillow at the screen (which I've been known to do from time to time).

On a final note, I think Wimbledon would have been much better with someone other than Kirsten Dunst as the female lead. She's too scrawny to be a convincing tennis player; they should have cast an actress like Jennifer Biel, who has a more appropriate frame and seems like she could actually compete out there and not look like she's just pretending for a movie.

Posted December 27, 2004 | link