The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 109
Fresh: 68 | Rotten: 41
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.
Average Rating: 5.7/10
Critic Reviews: 29
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 13
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.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 61,789
My Rating
Movie Info
The true story of an upset victory that helped change the sport of golf forever provides the basis for this period drama. 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 familial home was near the Brookline, MA, Country Club, and over the stern objections
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Cast
-
Shia LaBeouf
Francis Ouimet -
Stephen Dillane
Harry Vardon -
Josh Flitter
Eddie Lowery -
Peyton List
Sarah Wallis -
Elias Koteas
Arthur Ouimet -
Marnie McPhail
Mary Ouimet -
Stephen Marcus
Ted Ray -
Peter Firth
Lord Northcliffe -
Michael Weaver
John McDermott -
James Paxton
Young Harry -
Matthew Knight
Young Francis Ouimet -
Luke Askew
Alec Campbell -
Len Cariou
Stedman Comstock -
Armand Laroche
Black Top Hatted Man -
Walter Massey
President Taft -
Tom Rack
Black Top Hatted Man -
Howard Ryshpan
Gallery Member -
Michael Sinelnikoff
Lord Bullock -
Dawn Upshaw
Soprano -
James Bradford
Robert Watson -
Arthur Holden
Club Secretary -
Philip Pretten
Comstock's Assistant -
Joe Jackson
Pub Pianist -
Charles S. Doucet
Irish Crew Boss -
Justin Ashforth
Ted Hastings -
Robin Wilcock
Darwin Bernard -
George Asprey
Wilfred Reid -
Luke Kirby
Frank Hoyt -
Mike Nahrgang
Baritone -
Jonathan Higgins
Embry Wallis -
Dennis St John
Wallis' Butler -
Brian Wrench
Know-It-All Gallery Mem... -
Max Kasch
Freddie Wallis -
Melissa Carter
Reid's Escort -
Johnny Griffin
Jack Lowery -
Steven Wallace Lowe
Reporter -
Marcel Jeannin
Office Worker -
Danette Mackay
Mrs. Wallis -
Nicolas Wright
Phillip Wainwright -
Frank Fontaine
Wallis' Chauffeur -
Peter Hurley
Black Top Hatted Man -
Gregory Terlecki
Black Top Hatted Man -
Amanda Jane Tilson
Young Sarah Wallace -
Jamie Merling
Young Louise Ouimet -
Eugenio Esposito
Young Raymond Ouimet -
Scott Faulconbridge
Billy -
Tim Peper
Walter Gibbs (as Timoth... -
Marc James Beauchamp
Assistant Pro -
Pierre Boudreau
Nothcliffe's Valet -
Terry Reid
Vardon's Caddy- Tommy -
Stephen Spreekmeester
Ted's Caddy -
Patrick Whitebean
McDermott's Caddy -
Melanie Beauline
Reid's Escort -
Jeremy Thibodeau
Raymond Ouimet -
Alexina Cowan
Louise Ouimet -
Nicole Braber
Know-It-All Girlfriend -
Kyle Macdougall
Vardon's Assistant -
Jesse Rath
Runner -
Domenico Salvaggio
Bartender -
James Scovone
Copy Boy -
Paul Cagelet
Man Passing By
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All Critics (114) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (42) | DVD (21)
Ouimet versus Vardon probably was the greatest golf game ever played, and Paxton and Frost do it justice, but I wouldn't sit through another simulated hole of it for Tiger Woods's salary.
Top CriticI know it's all about how well they construct the journey, but I just kind of felt like, okay, we know exactly what's going to happen here.
[An] overloaded movie.
As sports movies go, it doesn't get more exciting than this.
A sweet-natured, prettily photographed and at times genuinely exciting drama, bogged down by some thinly written characters and syrupy music.
The film will have to settle for a bogey rather than a par.
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.
I don't want to just take their word for it! Show me what was so special about this guy's game!!
Predictable but inspiring sports movie for families.
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.
If you're not willing to stand in the rain during a major tournament, you're gonna get bored with these movies.
[Director Bill] Paxton's narrative is confusing at first, but the film is entertaining overall.
Better suspense than many sports movies, in spite of clichés and anachronisms
The Greatest Game Ever Played provides plenty of tension and a satisfying payoff.
At the risk of sounding corny, the film is clearly above par.
...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.
The Longest Movie Ever Made.
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.
Riddled with underdog cliches and embellishments, and lays the sentimentality on thick at every opportunity, making the emotional response feel more manipulated then genuine.
More than any such movie I remember, The Greatest Game Ever Played celebrates the ideal of sportsmanship.
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.
Audience Reviews for The Greatest Game Ever Played
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
-
- Harry Vardon: How'd you sleep?
- Ted Ray: Like a baby. Woke up every two hours and cried.
-
- Eddie Lowery: Let it roll and it'll seek the hole.
-
- Eddie Lowery: You gotta settle down now Francis.
- Francis Ouimet: Yeah? And how we gonna do that?
- Eddie Lowery: You're just gonna have to play better... Keep your head down.
-
- Freddie Wallis: Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
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It's a period drama which may not be familiar to viewers not schooled in golfing history. In the early 1900s, golf was new to America and dominated by British champions such as Harry Vardon. Furthermore, the game belonged to the upper crust of society, those who inhabited exclusive country clubs. However, both Vardon and Francis Ouimet (LaBouf's character) arose from humble beginnings and signaled changes to come. It's predictable in the Disney tradition but positive and uplifting nonetheless. The golf itself is interesting, but this isn't Rocky in terms of sports excitement. The film even has several fine comedic moments, especially those featuring Ouimet's caddy, a plucky fifth-grader. In short, it's an enjoyable film, and you don't have to like golf to appreciate it.