Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

      View All
      Movies Tv shows Movie Trivia News Showtimes

      The Greatest Game Ever Played

      2005, Drama, 1h 55m

      112 Reviews 50,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics 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. Read critic reviews

      You might also like

      See More
      The Christmas Wish
      Finding Forrester
      Saint Ralph
      Before You Say I Do
      I Am David

      Where to watch The Greatest Game Ever Played

      Rent/buy Rent/buy Subscription Rent/buy

      Watch The Greatest Game Ever Played with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV.

      Rate And Review

      User image

      Verified

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Rate this movie

        Oof, that was Rotten.

        Meh, it passed the time.

        It’s good – I’d recommend it.

        Awesome!

        So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

        What did you think of the movie? (optional)



      • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Step 2 of 2

        How did you buy your ticket?

        Let's get your review verified.

        • Fandango

        • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

        • Cinemark Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Regal Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Theater box office or somewhere else

        You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Rate this movie

        Oof, that was Rotten.

        Meh, it passed the time.

        It’s good – I’d recommend it.

        Awesome!

        So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

        What did you think of the movie? (optional)

      • How did you buy your ticket?

        • Fandango

        • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

        • Cinemark Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Regal Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Theater box office or somewhere else

      The Greatest Game Ever Played  Photos

      Movie Info

      Blue-collar Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) fights class prejudice while mastering golf, a game guarded by the upper crust. Employed as a caddy at the exclusive Brookline Country Club, Francis fine-tunes his skills during off hours. His father, Arthur (Elias Koteas), disapproves, but a few admirers help Francis enter the 1913 U.S. Open. The underdog competes against British star Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) and finds common ground with his boyhood idol. The film is based on a true story.

      • Rating: PG (Mild Language)

      • Genre: Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Bill Paxton

      • Producer: Larry Brezner, David Steinberg

      • Writer: Mark Frost, Mark Frost

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $15.3M

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures

      • Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures

      • Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS

      • Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

      Cast & Crew

      Shia LaBeouf
      Stephen Dillane
      Josh Flitter
      Peyton List
      Elias Koteas
      Peter Firth
      Michael Weaver
      James Paxton
      Matthew Knight
      Mark Frost
      Francois Seguin
      Brian Tyler
      Shane Hurlbut
      Elliot Graham
      François Séguin
      Pierre Perrault
      Anne Gallea

      News & Interviews for The Greatest Game Ever Played

      Critic Reviews for The Greatest Game Ever Played

      Audience Reviews for The Greatest Game Ever Played

      • Apr 07, 2013

        Predictable movies, that with an inevitably uplifting ending and familiar character progressions, can still be good. The Greatest Game Ever Played is one of those films. The premise, that of an underdog underprivileged young man going up against the greatest golfers in the world, has been done. Like many of said stories, this one is based upon actual events. Unlike many similarly themed films, however, it strikes a resonance beyond the mere fact it's based on a true story, with a really effective execution. The acting is very strong all around, with Shia LaBeouf fitting his role perfectly. He captures resilience, charm, and bottled frustration as well as anyone, and felt very in tune with what the role called for. I liked the interactions he had with the rest of the cast, with Stephen Dillane being especially impressive. Dillane's deadpan intensity gave the film a dramatic weight that it wouldn't have had otherwise. All of the inner-character dynamics felt authentic and well realized. From a script standpoint, the film did an excellent job exploring the different character arcs. It was heavy handed, to be sure, in its main theme critiquing the aristocracy, but this was outweighed by the effective and inventive use of flashbacks. What was especially well done were the parallels between Dillane's early character and LaBeouf, with the film appropriately restraining itself from being too obvious. The film also struck a good balance from a tone standpoint. It worked as a pure drama and an underdog story, while also having a noticeable charm and humor to it. A fun, refreshingly positive, and always entertaining sports conventions fest. 4/5 Stars

        Super Reviewer
      • Aug 24, 2012

        The Greatest Game Ever Played is an excellent family-friendly, underdog, sports-themed film in the Disney tradition. I thoroughly enjoyed the cast; the young Shia LaBouf was perfect for the role. Sure, it's clichéd at times; the class conflict/social structure theme permeates the movie and is too heavy-handed at times. 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.

        Super Reviewer
      • Jun 17, 2012

        The Greatest Game Ever Played looks and feels like a great sports film, but the underdog has run its course. Don't get me wrong, this was a very enjoyable and enlightening film that really got my attentiok, but I'm just not seeing the genius in a script that we see in so many other sports films. But what seperates this from other sports films is the sport itself, golf. I play golf once and a while and it was nice to see a sports film that wasn't football or basketball, and it was also nice to see a golf film besides Happy Gilmore. Another thing that makes the film great is the cast, which has given me a lot more respect for Shia Lebeouf. I really like Labeouf in his earlier movies like this and Holes, and its always great to see him play a good and interesting performance that wasn't Transformers or playing Indiana Jones's son. I loved the tone and production of the film, Bill Paxton makes this film look truly magnificent and more interesting than a movie about golf should. But sadly I still can't ignore the fact that it tries way too hard to feel like other underdog sports films. The ending was very touching, but some moments I laughed because it really reminded me of Rudy and pulled a lot of cliches. The Greatest Game Ever Played doesn't feel original, but it does feel beautiful and interesting from start to finish, and has deemed itself worthy of being called a very good and entertaining sports film.

        Super Reviewer
      • Dec 14, 2011

        Enjoyable, with good production and good effects, just a bit confusing for non-golf fans.

        Super Reviewer

      Movie & TV guides

      View All