Britain’s Peter Colt has never quite lived up to his dreams of tennis stardom. Once ranked as high as number 11 in the world, the journeyman veteran has watched his number slip to 119 as his confidence on the court slowly ebbs away. Now, on the eve of his leaving the world of professional tennis, he’s granted a wild card, allowing him to play his final Wimbledon tournament…make that his final tournament ever.
| Tagline | She's the golden girl. He's the longshot. It's a match made in... |
| Release Date: | Sep 13, 2004 |
| Genres: | Comedy, Romance |
| Production Company: | Working Title Films |
| Production Countries: | United Kingdom |
| Casts: | Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill, Jon Favreau, Bernard Hill, Eleanor Bron, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Austin Nichols, Robert Lindsay, James McAvoy, John McEnroe |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $31000000 |
| Revenue: | 41512007 |
Plucky Brit "Colt" (Paul Bettany) has probably left his best tennis days behind him. Now ranked in the low one hundreds of the world rankings, he'd struggle to beat an egg. A wildcard to Wimbledon might serve as a fitting denouement for his career before he retires to make a few quid teaching old ladies (like Celia Imrie) at their exclusive country club. Luckily, his hotel gives him the wrong room key and he finds himself in a luxurious suite whilst it's official occupant "Lizzie" (Kirsten Dunst) is taking a shower. She's the real deal on the court and she takes a bit of a shine to the no-hoper - much to the chagrin of her manager/father (Sam Neill). As their relationship blossoms a bit, it has quite an effect on his game. His expected dismissal in round one doesn't happen, nor round two... She, on the other hand, crashes out a bit earlier than planned but can the two manage to salvage what's important from the lessons being learned? Could it actually be a love match? It's an amiable enough little romcom, this, with actually quite a tenterhook ending but the comedy is a bit thin on the ground and aside from the two at the top who do look like they are enjoying themselves, the remaining cast don't deliver so well - especially the dreadfully wooden Neill, the overly hammy Robert Lindsay and a curiously sterile badinage in the commentary box between John McEnroe and Chris Evert. Some of the tennis action is quite well structured, though, and the film looks fine. You'll just probably never remember it later.
