Susan Granger’s review of “The Greatest Game Ever Played” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Aside from the title’s hyperbole, this is yet another true sports story that’s been transformed into a heart-warming family film, like “Remember the Titans,” “Miracle” and “The Rookie.”
At the U.S. Open Golf Championship in 1913, Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf), a 20 year-old amateur from Brookline, Massachusetts, faced his idol, Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), the five-time British Open pro champion. Getting there was a long, difficult road for both of them.
Haunted by “ghosts” from his past, Harry Vardon came from poverty in Jersey, while Francis’ cynical, working-class dad (Elias Koteas) advised: “A man knows his place and keeps it.” As a youngster, Francis earned money carrying clubs for members of the exclusive golf club located across the street from his home and had a crush on aristocratic Sara Wallis (Peyton List).
To add much-needed drama to the obvious national rivalry, both protagonists must battle socio-economic hardship and class-consciousness. In England and America, the “gentlemen’s clubs” were stratified and exclusive, so many of the top golfers did not qualify for membership.
Writer Mark Frost and actor-turned-director Bill Paxton (“Frailty”) battle a problem inherent to golf: it’s slow-moving and tedious to watch. (Think “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “Tin Cup.”) Credit Paxton, along with cinematographer Shane Hurlbut and film editor Elliot Graham, for their vintage color palette and inventive camera angles, particularly for the pivotal putts.
All the actors perform well but the real scene-stealer is pint-sized, ten year-old Josh Flitter as Francis’ wisecracking caddie. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” scores an uplifting, feel-good 5, destined to be a perennial on TV’s Golf Channel.
