Review of 'Wimbledon' DVD

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The'Wimbledon'DVD

 Wimbledon is really just a romantic comedy set on the tennis court . If you want to see great tennis you don't see it in this film despite the fact that the main characters, played by Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany, did have tennis lessons for the film. There are a lot of strange angle shots and special effects to disguise their lack of skill. But the metaphor of tennis as a love match rings true.

The tennis itself is quite good. You can tell that the ball is computer generated most of the time but this doesn’t distract us from the action. Filming the movie at Wimbledon also works very well but there are a few inaccuracies that tennis fans will instantly pick up on, like the fact that they play the semi-finals on No.2 Court. The final is on Centre Court however, making the final all that more exciting. These inaccuracies did annoy me, being a tennis fan.
Peter Colt (Bettany) is a quickly fading tennis star, who was once ranked 11th in the world, but is now ranked 119th. At the age of 32 and realizing that he may be past his prime, Colt has decided to retire after playing at one last Wimbledon, and become a tennis pro at a country club. After accidentally meeting young and upcoming talent Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst), Colt’s game suddenly begins to improve and he begins to win. The dilemma comes when Lizzie’s game begins to grow worse as their relationship grows. Then there is the realistic father coach who controls his daughter’s game and life and the plot is complete..

Dunst is very convincing as the young and talented tennis player with a reputation for losing her temper on the court. She has such a passion in her acting that it is easily believable to see her as a passionate tennis player.

As much as I enjoyed the film, it must be noted that the sports/romantic comedy film has been done many times before, and many better. There's many a boxing film and one I really enjoyed was 'Million Dollar Baby'.

The supporting cast is good. Bernard Hill is as excellent as Peter’s father, as is Eleanor Bron as Peter’s mother. James McAvoy provides many of the laughs as Peter’s brother Carl. John McEnroe and Chris Evert bring some realism to the TV coverage on the movie but both of them shouldn’t give up their day jobs for acting.

Overall, I enjoyed the DVD, but not so that I could watch good tennis. I liked the special effects and the insight into tour life. The romance wasn't that convincing, but if I imagine that there must be much sex that occurs on tours it was another insight into tour life. The features sections were good though.

Picture and sound

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, this is an excellent transfer. The picture quality captures the colour of the famous Lawn Tennis Club superbly and the sound engulfs you, taking you into centre court.

Bonus features

Feature Commentary with Director Richard Loncraine and Paul Bettany
This chatty and informative track from the man at the helm and his star is good fun to listen to. They outline how they wanted to distance themselves from the ‘Richard Curtis’ mould and make their own sports/rom-com. Paul Bettany reveals the many injuries he sustained during tennis training and filming and they talk about working with the cast. The pair has a great affinity for the film and each other, making this a commentary track that is very easy to listen to and enjoy.

Welcome to the Club (3.01 mins)

Director Richard Loncraine, AELTCC chairman Tim Philips and stars Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Austin Nichols, Sam Neill and Mary Carillo take you behind the scenes of filming at Wimbledon itself.

Ball Control (4.48 mins)

Director Richard Loncraine, visual effects supervisor Richard Stammers and visual effect producer Stefan Drury show you the different techniques used to make the tennis match look real. We get to see how they used CG tennis balls, time slice photography and motion control camera to make Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst into tennis pros.

Coaching a Rising Star (2.52 mins)

Director Richard Loncraine, tennis advisor Pat Cash, tennis pro Murphy Jensen and stars Paul Bettany, Kirsten Dunst, Chris Evert and John McEnroe talk about making the tennis look real. With six months of training, five days a week Pat Cash and Paul Bettany reveal what they went through to make the stars look like tennis pros and not actors with a racket.

Wimbledon – An Inside Look (9.45 mins)

Director Richard Loncraine, producer Eric Fellner, writer Adam Brooks, tennis advisor Pat Cash, tennis pro Murphy Jensen and stars Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill, Jon Favreau, Chris Evert and John McEnroe take you behind the scenes of the filming of ‘Wimbledon’. The cast and crew talk about the story, characters, cameos, the tennis and what is was like filming at the most famous tennis venue in the world.