MM Film Blog

Director Bill Paxton pulls out all the stops in this period golf drama, based on the true story of the 1913 U.S. Open, a battle between 20-year old amateur Francis Ouimet and 1900 U.S. Open Champion, Englishman Harry Vardon. This is a wonderful film for golf enthusiasts, but you don't have to love golf to love the film.

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You're probably thinking that golf is a boring game to watch, so a movie about golf must be equally boring. This couldn't be further from the truth. On the surface, this is a very compelling, very well told underdog sports story. Caddie Francis Ouimet converts to golfer Francis Ouimet, and has the opportunity to play in the U.S. Open along with his childhood idol, Vardon. The film goes deeper however, drawing parallels between the 2 men -- each coming from a working class background, striving for acceptance in a gentleman's game. At that time, golf was very much a sport of the upper classes, and a man from a lower class background was not accepted as an equal, even after achieving championship status.

This is also a story of patriotism, as the U.S. Open had mostly been won by foreigners at that point, and the U.S. was strongly hoping for a U.S. champion. Thus Ouimet's rise to the top of the field captured a lot of attention.

Mostly this is a story about 2 extraordinary men -- Ouimet and Vardon -- who display more gentlemanly qualities than all of the so called gentlemen combined. And it is also the story of the amazing friendship between Ouimet and his 10-year old caddie Eddie Lowery, brilliantly played by Josh Flitter. With pithy little phrases like "Read it, roll it, hole it" and "Easy peasy lemon squeasy", Eddie adds warmth and humor to some very tense moments, while keeping golfer Ouimet calm and on track.

This is a first class Disney film. Mark Frost's very intelligent screenplay (based on his book), and the quiet, strong performances from Shia LaBoeuf as Ouimet and Stephen Dillane as Vardon, elevate this film to a cut above the typical formula Disney fare.

Bill Paxton drives the film forward at a compelling pace, and draws us into the thoughts of the characters without a lot of dialogue. Shane Hurlbut's inventive cinematography and Elliot Graham's editing contribute to the fast moving action as we soar through the sky with the ball, and watch the drama unfold on the scoreboard and newspaper headlines. Paxton said that he was striving for the feel of an old Western, and the film at times does seem like an old-fashioned shoot-out (sans guns).

Perhaps what makes this film most fascinating is the fact that most of it is true. This is the kind of stuff that would be unbelievable if it were fiction. Frost's screenplay seems to have stayed amazingly true to actual events. There are a few plot lines that are fabricated for added drama, such as the resistance of the father, and the love interest. These are hardly needed, when the real story is compelling enough on it's own.

All in all, a wonderful family film.

SPOILER ALERT: One thing to note -- the DVD comes with several interesting special features, including a 1963 interview with the real Francis Ouimet, 50 years after his amazing victory.

MM Rating - * * * * *