Sports films about long shots triumphing despite near impossible odds have served Disney well at the box office in recent years (“The Rookie,” “Miracle”), so as you might expect they’re sticking with the formula. The Mouse enlisted actor-cum-director Bill Paxton to helm “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” which recounts one of the most incredible upsets in sports history — 20-year-old American amateur golfer Francis Ouimet’s (Shia LeBeouf) victory over eventual six-time champ, Britain’s Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), at the 1913 U.S. Open. “Greatest Game” isn’t the greatest sports movie ever made, but it’s pretty darn good all the same. Paxton flagrantly incorporates numerous staples of the genre (slow-mo action shots, an operatic score, flag-waving nationalism) yet manages to keep the overall sappiness factor at a tolerable level. Best of all, you don’t have to be a golf fan to find this film up to par.
Several themes are addressed within, among them class struggle, the power of determination, and the possibility that Francis Ouimet may have been a time-traveler from the 21st Century — how else to explain LeBeouf’s curiously modern dialect in a film set nearly 100 years ago? (Pretty sure they didn’t talk like us back then, but I can’t be fo-shizzle.) Speech impediments aside, there is plenty to like about this family-friendly fare, especially Dillane’s nuanced performance as Vardon. Diminutive actor Josh Flitter provides many of the film’s laughs as Francis’ pre-pubescent caddy, Eddie Lowery. This is one underdog you can’t help but root for. (Rated PG for some brief mild language. Running time: 120 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 30, 2005. Read the original PDF.