Wimbledon

I don't really seek out films dealing with sports, but Wimbledon combines elements of not only sports, but also comedy and romance, and I'm always happy to watch that. You can tell right away that something like this comes from England, because most American romantic comedies are often pretty silly, whereas the English put more emotion and elegance into it. Everything here is done with feeling and nothing is attacked with violence. The lead actress is well chosen and her performance looks convincing – the "quirky" Kirsten Dunst complements the "smarmy" Paul Bettany perfectly. Absolutely top-notch cinematography that does a great job of creating the atmosphere of many scenes – I'm not much for slow-motion shots, but I enjoyed them here. The music was also lovely. (04/25/2010)

I could not help it, but this movie did not impress me at all. While I like Dunst and Bettany, I found this to be an incredibly vacuous movie, dominated mainly by typical cinematic conventions, stale dialogue, predictability, and boredom. Ninety-eight minutes felt incredibly long to sit through, and if it were not for the above two actors, I probably would have fallen asleep from boredom. I am awarding this a weak two stars. (02/24/2009)

An enjoyable film that doesn't impress with anything, but pleases with its depiction of the unglamorous environment of elite tennis and the extremely likable central duo Bettany – Dunst. The ingredients are mixed in the right proportions, with a bit of unobtrusive humour, a bit of match suspense (though given with a predictable outcome the plot development, and Bettany's match comebacks were more from the realm of science fiction), a bit of overdone (yay!) romance. The legendary John McEnroe can be seen as a sports commentator, and to make the actors look like real players, the Australian Wimbledon winner Pat Cash worked as an advisor and coach. I believed Bettany as a top tennis player, Dunst less so (weird loop on the serve)......All in all, three and a half*. (01/11/2005)

A visually excellent and narratively appealing spectacle, but it proves that even a British machine for unforgettable romantic comedy gems can run aground. In my eyes, Wimbledon will never reach the quality of something like Notting Hill, let alone Love Actually. I don't mind that a potential hit turned out to be a forgettable snack. Indeed, I've been wondering for quite a while about when exactly the time would come when a main couple would just spend the night together shortly after meeting, instead of it being one of the emotional peaks. Not to mention that Paul Bettany is an excellent actor, but he absolutely does not fit as a romantic hero. Fortunately, Kirsten Dunst is as gorgeous as ever, and her lighthearted performance can cover up many plot hiccups. (03/11/2005)

At first glance, Wimbledon looks like another of the many above-average romantic comedies that we have seen plenty of, but unlike most similar films, it has original and unobtrusive humor. Additionally, it takes place in a new and unexplored setting of tennis, which is another big plus. What can be considered a “classic” was the soundtrack, composed of a mix of classic romantic pop songs mainly performed by female interpreters – nothing against it, because overall the film works quite well and that is the main thing. (02/11/2005)