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Movies / On DVD / The Greatest Game Ever Played
The Greatest Game Ever Played

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The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

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Reviews Counted:107

Fresh:67

Rotten:40

Average Rating:6.2/10

Consensus: Despite all the underdog sports movie conventions, the likable cast and lush production values make The Greatest Game Ever Played a solid and uplifting tale.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some brief mild language

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Sep 30, 2005 Wide

Box Office: $15,283,642

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Justin Ashforth, George Asprey, Jackie Burroughs

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Justin Ashforth, George Asprey, Jackie Burroughs, Len Cariou, Peter Firth, Joe Jackson

Director: Bill Paxton

Director: Bill Paxton
Screenwriter: Melissa Carter
Producer: Marc Beauchamps
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

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Release:

Mar 14, 2006

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Reviews for The Greatest Game Ever Played

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The characters model some wonderful behavior for youngsters%u2014things like tolerance, restraint, persistence, good manners, and good sportsmanship. Things that, sadly, seem to have gone the way of knickers.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
06/16/09
James Plath
James Plath
DVDTown.com

I don't want to just take their word for it! Show me what was so special about this guy's game!!

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
06/12/09
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

Greatest Game succeeds because it has enough history and authenticity to please golf enthusiasts while maintaining enough heart and human drama to appeal to the rest.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/25/06
Russ Breimeier
Russ Breimeier
Christianity Today

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

If you're not willing to stand in the rain during a major tournament, you're gonna get bored with these movies.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
04/21/06
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

[Director Bill] Paxton's narrative is confusing at first, but the film is entertaining overall.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
04/15/06
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

Better suspense than many sports movies, in spite of clichés and anachronisms

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
04/14/06
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

...the film is so well made, the acting so good, the period so well captured, and the photography so captivating that it's hard not to like it.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
04/04/06
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine

The Longest Movie Ever Made.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
11/21/05
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

Despite the endless heart-tugging cliches and predictable storylines, Disney once again demonstrates its ability to push the right sentimental buttons in an underdog sports film.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
11/13/05
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

Riddled with underdog cliches and embellishments, and lays the sentimentality on thick at every opportunity, making the emotional response feel more manipulated then genuine.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
11/09/05
Todd Jorgenson
Todd Jorgenson
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

More than any such movie I remember, The Greatest Game Ever Played celebrates the ideal of sportsmanship.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
10/13/05
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

The most visually and emotionally dynamic film ever made about a game of golf — perhaps the most visually and emotionally dynamic possible film about a game of golf.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
10/10/05
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

As a film replay, The Greatest Game is hardly that, but it's at least a pretty good one.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
10/07/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

A great underdog film that is absolutely stolen by the 10 year old caddy played by Josh Flitter. If you don't love him, you have no soul.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
10/07/05
John Venable
John Venable
Supercala.com

I’m going to bet that Bill Paxton loves golf. Because, despite his deftly directed “Frailty,” “The Greatest Game Ever Played” rolls all over the place.

Full Review Source: KWQC-TV (Iowa) | comment Comment
10/07/05
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
KWQC-TV (Iowa)

not a feel-good, root-for-the-underdog movie, but a caricature of one

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/06/05
Pete Croatto
Pete Croatto
Filmcritic.com

This charming film (editing tricks aside), is rich in humor and period detail, and amazingly suspenseful considering we already know the outcome.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
10/06/05
M. K. Terrell
M. K. Terrell
Christian Science Monitor

Movies about golf are seldom, if ever, 'great.'

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
10/06/05
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com
 
 
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