Product Details

• Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Sam Neill, Bernard Hill
• Directors: Richard Loncraine
• Writers: Adam Brooks, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
• Producers: Debra Hayward, Eric Fellner, Liza Chasin, Mary Richards
• Format: Color, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: December 28, 2004
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006A9FJQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,817 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE STORIES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PREDICTABLE, November 3, 2004

By 

S - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wimbledon (DVD)

A bunch of people have said that Wimbledon was 'too predictable.' Well, it's a romantic comedy. Of course it's predictable: boy meets girl, they fall in love, trouble pursues, they get together in the end.

The point of seeing a love story is to see HOW all this happens. Wimbledon does a great job coming up with an original plot (love and tennis) while presenting the story in a way that draws in the audience. You really care about the characters. Kirsten Dunst, especially, creates a wonderful portrayal of Lizzie Bradbury. Lizzie is a very bold, driven, somewhat selfish character, but Dunst makes her lovable. And Bettany (Peter) plays off Dunst's performance incredibly well.

I love this movie. It's incredibly sweet, and funny without the groaning and eye-rolling junk. It is an amazingly well-directed, well-casted, and all around well-done movie that immediately made it to the top of my favorites list.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love Means Nothing in Tennis, September 14, 2004

By 

Eric Anderson (London, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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Peter Colt is a moderately successful tennis star facing the end of his career although he's only 32 years old. All he has to look forward to in life is a job giving tennis lessons to flirtatious middle aged women and fights between his argumentative parents who he still lives with. Then he stumbles into the life of young Lizzie Bradbury, a rising American star on the tennis scene. Lizzie gives him the motivation to shoot for the top, but the only trouble is that she finds any romantic involvement detracts from her own ability to play the game.

This is essentially a romantic comedy, but it is also a story about a meeting between an aging, slightly cynical British man and a motivated, optimistic young woman. It's unique to see a confident woman taking a leadership role in a film of this genre, where traditionally the male lead strong arms the woman into realizing that they are made for each other. Kirsten Dunst plays the role with great vigour even though she has admitted in interviews that she naturally has a shier disposition than that of her character. It's an amusing coincidence that Dunst is routing for a character named Peter again following on from the triumphantly successful Spiderman films. And doubly coincidental that Peter's primary opponent is a character named Jake after the actress' recent sad break up with actor Jake Gyllenhaal. This film's soundtrack features two beautiful songs "Caught in a Moment" and "Sometimes" by the fantastically talented Sugababes. It's to the film's credit that by the end most people in the audience felt sufficient emotional involvement to care who won the big tennis match. Wimbledon is an enjoyable movie that only occasionally goes over the top.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Mix, October 18, 2004

By 

Joshua M. Clark (Seattle) - See all my reviews
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This movie combines all my favorite film features: sports, romantic comedy, and beautiful filmography. The tennis action is sensational, with brilliant camera angles (e.g., viewing a volley from the ball's perspective). The romance is sweet and touching. The English ambience is eternally appealing. And the movie is just plain funny.

I watched it once, and wanted to walk right back in to watch it again. It was quite enjoyable.