| | | |Based on a True Story.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Digital (5.1); Dolby Surround Sound, Gallery, Audio Commentary, Featurette
Francis Ouimet (played by Shia LaBeouf) was born in 1893 to a working-class family in Massachusetts, and grew up fascinated by golf. However, at that time golf was considered a pastime of the wealthy and privileged, and British and Scottish players dominated the professional game. Ouimet''s home was near the Brookline, MA, Country Club, and over the stern objections of his father, Francis got a job there as a caddy. Honing his skill in his spare time, Francis displayed a tremendous natural talent for the game and an understanding of its strategies, and 1913 he became the first amateur to play in the U.S. Open, held at the Brookline Country Club. Ouimet''s presence was considered little more than a novelty at the time; Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), a British champion with six tournament victories under his belt, was considered the favorite to win, with Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus) his only serious competition. However, Vardon, a fellow working-class boy who had overcome tuberculosis to become Britain''s premier professional golfer, had more in common with Ouimet than anyone expected, and the tournament unexpectedly became a hard-fought competition between an established star and a promising unknown. Running time: 121 minutes.
"...[an] endearing sports inspirational that aims to be "Chariots of Fire" for golf." Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
"LaBeouf ("Holes") has a scrubbed, ego-free innocence that is perfect for his working-class hero." Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
"Every bit as good as Seabiscuit!" Larry King
"...manages to absorb you in its story and even carry you with some of its emotions." Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian
"Actor-turned-helmer Bill Paxton has fashioned solid family entertainment in this well-cast feature." Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
Editor's Note
The second film directed by actor Bill Paxton is a marked departure--in both form and content--from his debut, 2001's FRAILTY, a shadowy, gothic tale of murder. THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED is a sports movie slash Horatio Alger rags-to-riches tale with undertones of class consciousness and social critique. The story is based on a real-life event--the 1913 U.S. Open golf championship--at which two equally sympathetic young men, both of whom grew up economically and socially disadvantaged, go club to club in one of the most exciting and dramatic athletic events of the early 20th century. The film focuses on the competition between the British star Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) and the young American prodigy Francis Ouimet (HOLES star Shia LaBoeuf). Though they hail from opposite sides of the Atlantic, the struggles that the two young golfers have had to overcome are markedly similar; both grew up in hard-scrabble, working-class homes that happened to be adjacent to golf courses, and both were preternaturally disposed to the game. In addition, both must defy the disdain of the golfing gentry. Vardon is already a reigning champion and international darling when Ouimet makes it to his first tournament to battle him. Though enough backstory is provided to connect the viewers to the characters, the meat of the film is the dramatic unfolding of the tournament. With expert editing and fluid camera work, Paxton films close-up views of the golfing action in a manner that recalls the kinetic pool shots in Martin Scorsese's THE COLOR OF MONEY. With each stroke, the competition becomes closer and the mood more tense, culminating in an explosive outcome that, while not unexpected, pulls at the heartstrings as do all good tales of triumph over adversity.
| Features | A View From The Gallery: On The Set Of The Greatest Game Ever Played | | Two Legends And The Greatest Game Featurette | | Feature Film Audio Commentary: Director Bill Paxton | | Feature Film Audio Commentary: Writer Mark Frost | | From Caddy To Champion: Francis Ouimet | | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: English Dolby Digital (5.1); Dolby Surround Sound | | Subtitles: English, Spanish, French |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista (Disney) |
| Release Date: 8/15/2008 |
| Running Time: 121 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 3965103 | | UPC: 00786936277920 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
ESPY (2006) | | | The Greatest Game Ever Played, Nominee, Best Sports Movie |
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| | Professional Reviews | ReelViews 8 of 10
When it comes to this sort of true-life sports story, Disney has cornered the market. In the past few years, the studio has released four fact-based tales of triumph, each centered on a different kind of game people play. First, there was Remember the Titans (football). That was followed by The Rookie (baseball) and Miracle (hockey). Now, we have The Greatest Game Ever Played (golf)...There's a lot of talent in this film, both behind and in front of the camera, despite the absence of any "big names." Shia LaBeouf is a budding star - some viewers will remember him from Holes, where he had the lead role. He has a fresher face than some of his better-known contemporaries, and this part fits him like a glove. Stephen Dillane is a veteran British character actor who keeps Harry real and sympathetic. For actor Bill Paxton, this is his second directorial effort (after Frailty). He keeps the film lively and moving. His use (but not overuse) of a "ball-cam" shot during some of the drives gives us a fresh perspective on the game. Writer Mark Frost not only penned the book upon which he based the screenplay, but is a movie and TV veteran, perhaps most infamous for co-creating (with David Lynch) Twin Peaks...The Greatest Game Ever Played fits nicely into the sports sub-genre populated by Hoosiers, Remember the Titans, The Rookie, and Miracle. The goal of these films is to use true stories to re-mythologize sports - something that bucks the trend of digging up dirt to besmirch superstar reputations. Those stories have their place as well, but it's nice to find the occasional inspirational tale, and The Greatest Game Ever Played is as feel-good as any sports movie you're likely to find. It's a solid choice for family viewing, but is equally worthy of viewing by solo adults. And being a golf fan is not a prerequisite. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
"The Greatest Game Ever Played" was a game of golf, in case you thought your team might have been involved. In 1913, a working-class American amateur named Francis Ouimet defeated the great British player Harry Vardon to win the U.S. Open. Here is a movie that tells that story and exactly that story, devoting a considerable amount of its running time to the final rounds and playing like one a superb sports telecast. Because some of the opening scenes seem borrowed from other underdog movies, I was surprised to realize, toward the end, how gripping the movie had become...This is the second film directed by the actor Bill Paxton, and it could not possibly be more different from his first, "Frailty" (2001). In that one, he played a father who leads his two sons in a series of murders that were commanded, he believes, by an angel. "Frailty" was dark and brilliant and filled with fearful prospects; now this sunny film, which plays almost as if it's emotional rehab for Paxton...I am not a golf fan but found "The Greatest Game Ever Played" absorbing all the same, partly because of the human element, partly because Paxton and his technicians have used every trick in the book to dramatize the flight and destination of the golf balls. We follow balls through the air, we watch them creep toward the green or stray into the rough, we get not only an eagle's-eye view but a club's-eye view and sometimes, I am convinced, a ball's-eye view...The technique is at the service of a game in which everything is at risk, and we like both players; our affection for them makes everything trickier, and certainly as the final rounds are played, the games themselves seem to have been scripted to create as much suspense as possible. I have no idea if the movie is based, stroke for stroke, on the actual competition at the 1913 U.S. Open. I guess I could find out, but I don't want to know. I like it this way. - Roger Ebert
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