Love in tennis, as one character in Wimbledon points out, means nothing -- zero. But in Wimbledon, love is all in a sparkling romantic comedy that also revolves around that other favorite movie staple -- the sports underdog.
Here, it's Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), a 32-year-old once-promising tennis pro who fears he's just this side of over-the-hill on his game. Eight years ago he was ranked 11th in the world of tennis. Today he has fallen to 119th and is only playing in his 13th Wimbledon tournament because of a wild-card stipulation. Down, but not quite out, Peter is fielding a call to become the staff tennis pro at a stuffy club where he would teach the game to middle-aged, well-off ladies.
But wait! You don't have to know anything about tennis to enjoy Wimbledon. Even though it includes some breathtakingly exciting tennis matches and takes place on one of the world's most famous courts, Wimbledon is not really about tennis, but about romance and heart and the drive to push ahead.
Perhaps because it's set in England, like such recent romantic comedies as Bridget Jones's Diary and Love Actually, it also has a deliciously off-center touch and a whimsy that's very appealing. For instance, at the start of the film Peter's father has finally cracked in his strained marriage and has taken up residence in the backyard treehouse. There he follows Peter's progress at Wimbledon on an aged black-and-white TV, holding up the antenna at arm's length to pull in the picture.
But Peter is deemed to have such little chance at reviving his career that even his brother places bets against him.
What makes Peter -- who is played appealingly and with all his insecurities in plain sight by Bettany -- come around in his game is the arrival of American tennis star Lizzie Bradbury (the radiant Kirsten Dunst). What could have been an awkward moment -- he gets the wrong hotel key and barges in on her taking a shower -- turns slowly from camaraderie to attraction to feelings of romance.
She's over the top in her game, her on-court approach and her frankness. He's laid back. She dares him to try "fooling around" before a match to see if it improves his score. She even urges him to "kill" his longtime friend and practice partner in their match. Otherwise he'll fall behind in the all-important rankings.
Soon their romance is not so secret and they're the toast of Wimbledon, with paparazzi flashing their every move.
But while romance propels Peter forward to a second wind he didn't think was possible, Lizzie's father-coach (Sam Neill) tries to put an end to their meetings for fear they will put her off her game. Soon it's apparent that Peter and Lizzie are at cross purposes.
Director Richard Loncraine explores all the ups and downs of love between this attractive couple, helped immeasurably by the solid chemistry between Dunst and Bettany. When she turns up at one of his matches to urge him on, you can feel the electricity between them. It's a breezy romance and you want them to succeed.
But Loncraine uses too many closeups in the early tennis matches: we feel the strain on the players, but don't have a sense of the whole game. However, as things heat up toward the end of Wimbledon, he wisely pulls back the camera and captures some terrifically exciting plays as a pair of opponents mercilessly whack that yellow ball over the net (although to get the amazing shots -- and because his actors aren't tennis champions -- the ball was inserted into the action via computer animation). The stereo sound is used very effectively to add a you-are-there feeling to the matches with the sounds of the crowds bouncing around the theater as they would at a real game.
Wimbledon, which is buoyant and often quirkily funny, proves that you can have a love match and cheer it.
****
Wimbledon
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill, Jon Favreau, Austin Nichols, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
Rated: PG-13, contains adult themes.
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