Product Description

In just 2 summer weeks a british tennis plaer ranked 119th in the world & generally considered to be on his last legs as a professional player gets his one last chance to win both the all-england lawn tennis championships on the grassy courts of wimbledon & the heart of the rising bad girl of tennis as well Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 02/27/2007 Starring: Kirsten Dunst Run time: 98 minutes Rating: Pg13

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29877 in DVD
• Brand: Universal
• Released on: 2004-12-28
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 98 minutes

Amazon.com
Professional tennis makes an unlikely but surprisingly effective backdrop for a lively romantic comedy in Wimbledon. Peter Cort (Paul Bettany, Master and Commander), once ranked 11th in the world, has slipped to 119th and is heading into his last Wimbledon tournament when he runs into Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst, The Virgin Suicides, Spider-Man), a rising star. The two strike up a whirlwind romance that gives his game new life--but she insists it's going to be nothing but a passing fling. Their affair heats up and Cort finds himself steadily rising through the competition while Lizzie stumbles... Of course, the ending is never really in doubt--but Bettany is a unique cinematic presence, pale and lithe, doubtful of life but also hungry for it. Thanks to him and the ever-engaging Dunst, Wimbledon is funnier, more suspenseful, and more touching that anyone might expect, turning a conventional flick into a genuine charmer. --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker
The fine actor Paul Bettany ("Master and Commander," "A Beautiful Mind") is done in by this witless romantic comedy, played out on England's most prestigious courts. A miscast Kirsten Dunst stumbles as the upcoming tennis star who inspires Bettany to radically improve his game, and the script, by a trio of screenwriters, is anything but agile. Tennis clichés (the overbearing father, the long-shot contender) abound, and the film's characters are as underdrawn as the film is overpopulated. Clearly designed to be another British ensemble hit, this film, directed by Richard Loncraine, finds the net. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

[ F*#k a duck.] - love is zero in tennis.

This film is far too underrated for all that it is.

Wimbledon is the tale of dear Peter Colt(Paul Bettany) who's beginning to learn that his tennis career is coming to and end and how in-fact he must deal with it. Everything seems to be going downhill until he meets upcoming super-star Lizzie Bradbury(Kirsten Dunst) and she help teach him how to love both the game and life again.

Now true this plot is not the most original, take Bridget Jones or You've got Mail and make them tennis players and TA-DA! But with that said, the performance of Paul Bettany makes it so much more.

Bettany is simply brilliant, over-thinking and awkward coming from a typically cold and slightly 'off' Brittish family to the fast-paced world of tennis. He doesn't quite fit in anywhere and doesn't have anywhere or anyone to run to. James Mcavoy is also pleasant as Peter's no-good gambling brother.

If you are a tennis fan it's nice to see a film with tennis in mind, although the match scenes are pretty weak and it's obvious neither Bettany or Dunst have much tennis experience.

A great, insightful film on growing up and learning to cope with whatever life serves up!

Good British fun.
This is a fun movie with the British feel in its directing. The humor is light, but the atmosphere created in this film is great. It's a great film to help relieve stress from the day. Warning, does contain sexual scenes, but no nudity.

"Surprisingly zesty."
In this film, as has-been tennis player Peter Colt surprisingly ascends to prominence, his agent manages to line him up with a new Frito Lay potato chip to endorse, called "Surprisingly Zesty." This, to me, is as good a label as any when trying to describe this film. WIMBLEDON is surprisingly zesty. Tennis, in the states, is fairly popular but not as huge as the big three sports. So to say that this romantic sports film manages to be very entertaining is an unexpected triumph.

Love is such a strange racket, especially when it comes with no strings attached (sorry). WIMBLEDON tells of what happens when British tennis pro Peter Colt, on the very last legs of his career (once ranked 11th in the world, he's now 119th), meets young and fiery American, Lizzie Bradbury, as she competes for the very first time in the Wimbledon tournament, the most hallowed of grand slams. Sparks go up, and Peter and Lizzie venture into a mutually agreed carefree romance.

Peter, having earned a wild card berth into the tournament but having already decided to retire immediately afterwards, finds his game suddenly elevated. And, because athletes are ridiculously superstitious, he assumes his unexpected success stems from his fling with Lizzie, as, so far, he's spent the eve of each of his Wimbledon matches with her. As he keeps winning, the pressure is on to maintain the romantic routine. This, even as he begins to seriously fall for Lizzie. On the other hand, Lizzie finds herself losing her game face and focus. And, this, as she begins to seriously fall for Peter.

So there goes the carefree romance...

I happen to dig tennis. I date back to Sampras, Agassi, Graf, Hingis (when she was at the top of the world), and even as far back as my man John McEnroe. But most folks I know just aren't that into tennis. However, regarding WIMBLEDON, you don't have to be a fan of the sport to get into the story. This is tennis made accessible and the play on the court is grippingly presented. You actually get into the matches. Paul Bettany has that slim, athletic build to convincingly pull off his role, and he did plenty of the stunts (even if, a lot of times, the tennis ball had to be inserted graphically). One only wishes that Kirsten Dunst had been on the court more (but, no, she isn't as convincing as Bettany on the tennis court).

I don't know too much of Paul Bettany. I've only ever seen him in two other films, the rollicking A Knight's Tale (Special Edition) (he plays Geoffrey Chaucer) and the mediocre Firewall (Widescreen Edition) (where he plays the lead villain). This is actually Paul Bettany's first time as a romantic lead, yet I wasn't all that surprised by how easily he shouldered that role. Guy simply spews that casual charisma (these Brit gents all must attend How To Be Disarming and Urbane 101). Of course, his rootability is enhanced by the film's use of "radiohead," a device in which the audience is allowed to listen to Peter's turmoiled, neurotic thoughts during his matches. It's fun listening to his mind state scale increasingly frantic heights, the deeper he advances. Peter Colt is such a warm, wry, and engaging character. You can't help but pull for this underdog, on and off the court.

I don't want to say too much about Kirsten Dunst, 'cause I've been crushing on her for a while now. I'll just end up gushing like a numbnut. But, listen, the romance is frothy and light and easy to swallow, buoyed by Bettany and Dunst's sparkling chemistry. Even if you don't dig the tennis play, the love story makes you want to stick around. Not to mention, WIMBLEDON is pretty funny, with one of my favorite moments taking place during one of Peter's matches and involving a sheepish Jon Favreau.

The leads are ably supported by Sam Neill (as Lizzie's stern pops), Jon Favreau (as Peter's dubiously sly agent), Nicolaj Coster Waldau (as Peter's German friend and practice partner), and a fresh-faced James McAvoy (as Peter's brother, who bets against Peter in his matches). I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Peter and Dieter, it comes off with such effortless warmth. Tennis bedrocks such as Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Mary Carillo, and John Barrett (the voice of English tennis) give their seal of approval by being in the movie as themselves. This opens up several funny moments with Johnny Mac poking fun of his (in)famous personality. The film crew received permission to shoot scenes on Wimbledon grounds, this lending the picture another layer of authenticity.

Who wins Wimbledon? Who loses? Does Peter end up being an unhappy tennis director at a posh health club? Will Lizzie manage to curb her temper and refocus her drive? Does John McEnroe drop any F bombs?

Look, just go see the movie.