Main Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jon Favreau, Sam Neill, Austin Nichols
Release Year: 2004
Country: UK
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Directed by Richard Loncraine, Wimbledon follows the plight of aspiring tennis-star Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), whose bad luck seems to manifest itself just about everywhere. Professionally, Peter is near the very bottom of the world tennis ranks, and personally, he can't find love despite his best efforts to do so. In a rare turn of events, however, Peter is chosen as a wildcard to play at Wimbledon, the tennis world's most prestigious competition. While there, he meets American tennis ingénue Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), and his confidence on the court and off improves tenfold as he falls further in love with her. Driven by his newfound luck, Peter climbs to the top of the tournament players at record speed, until he actually has a fighting chance of winning the men's singles title -- the question is whether or not his good fortune will hold out long enough for him to get the trophy. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
Review
An underrated romantic comedy that triumphs thanks to the power of its canny casting and a script that, while leaning too heavily on the work of Richard Curtis for inspiration, nevertheless succeeds in creating tension, humor, and what the screenwriting gurus call "rooting interest." Director Richard Loncraine is to be congratulated for letting the genuine chemistry between leads Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst play itself out onscreen. The scenes that work best are those that feature the lovers lobbing verbal volleys back and forth, Tracy-and-Hepburn style; they prove what Curtis' Notting Hill (1999) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) already taught us: there are few situations better designed to inspire dazzling dialogue than a stubborn, obsessive American arguing with a witty, fatalistic Brit. Meanwhile, the plot point-driven, "rom-com" cliches, such as her possessive father (Sam Neill, trying to swap his inherent affability for a Machiavellian quality but instead ending up seeming just sort of cross) or her arrogant boyfriend, are instantly forgettable, and the filmmaker smartly minimizes their impact. It may be derivative, but Wimbledon (2004) is a grand slam. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Eleanor Bron - Augusta Colt; Jeremy Child - Fred Pilger; Bernard Hill - Edward Colt; Barry Jackson - Danny Oldham; Annabel Leventon - Mrs Rossdale; Robert Lindsay - Ian Frazier; Amanda Walker - Country Club Tennis Lady; John Warnaby - Reporter 2; Peter Cartwright - Elderly Man in Lift; Cecilia Dazzi - Billi Clementi; Samantha Bond - TV Reporter; Celia Imrie - Mrs Kenwood; Alan David - Doctor Taylor; John McGlynn - Bookmaker; Mary McCormack - Peter and Lizzie's Daughter; Helen Blatch - Mrs Biggins; Laurence Kennedy - TV Interviewer; Ryan McCluskey - Outside Broadcast Director; Geoffrey Leesley - Dorchester Doorman; Danny Baker - Radio London DJ; James McAvoy - Carl Colt; Abhin Galeya - Vijay; Kyle Hyde - Monte Carlo Opponent; Penny Ryder - Mrs Littlejohn; Marina Morgan - Hotel Receptionist; Beti Sekulovski - Lizzie's 1st Opponent; Vikas Punna - Ajay Bhatt; Jonathan Timmins - Ball Boy; Martin O'Brien - Reporter 1; Tam Hoskyns - Reporter 3; Eve Pearce - Elderly Woman in Lift; Murphy Jensen - Ivan Dragomir; Ulla Dirscherl Van Zeller - Sophia Eri; Jesse Loncraine - Tennis Player; Kellie Shirley - Betting Shop Girl; Gemma Catlin - Betting Shop Girl's Friend; Alun Jones - Tom Cavendish; Simon Greenall - Chauffeur; Laura Morley - Lizzie's 2nd Opponent; Hamed Madani - Pierre Maroux; Rebecca Dandeniya - Arliyia Rupesindhe; Chris Moyles - Radio 1DJ; Azucena Duran - Dorchester Maid; Gareth Llewelyn - Dorchester Bellhop; Barry-Lee Thomas - Umpire - Final; Thomas Blore - Peter and Lizzie's Son; John Barrett - Himself
Credit
John King - Art Director, Tony Halton - Supervising Art Director, Irene Lamb - Casting, Joanna Colbert - Casting, Pat Cash - Consultant/advisor, Louise Stjernsward - Costume Designer, Richard Whelan - First Assistant Director, David Daniels - First Assistant Director, Alexander Oakley - First Assistant Director, Martin Cook - First Assistant Director, Richard Loncraine - Director, Martin Kenzie - Second Unit Director, Humphrey Dixon - Editor, Debra Hayward - Executive Producer, David Livingstone - Executive Producer, Noriko Watanabe - Hair Styles, Veronica Brebner - Hair Styles, Christine Greenwood - Hair Styles, Elizabeth Tagg - Hair Styles, Julia Laderman - Hair Styles, Julie Thom - Hair Styles, Adam Richards - Location Manager, Arnaud Duterque - Location Manager, Ed Shearmur - Composer (Music Score), Nick Angel - Musical Direction/Supervision, Andy Brown - Musical Direction/Supervision, Noriko Watanabe - Makeup, Veronica Brebner - Makeup, Christine Greenwood - Makeup, Paul Gooch - Makeup, Elizabeth Tagg - Makeup, Julia Laderman - Makeup, Julie Thom - Makeup, Mike Proudfoot - Camera Operator, David Morgan - Camera Operator, Sean Savage - Camera Operator, Brian Morris - Production Designer, Darius Khondji - Cinematographer, Jeremy Johns - Production Manager, Sara Desmond - Production Manager, Raphaël Benoliel - Production Manager, Tim Bevan - Producer, Eric Fellner - Producer, Liza Chasin - Producer, Mary Richards - Producer, Matthew Bristowe - Producer, Begona Lopez - Producer, Effects Associates - Special Effects, David A. Stephenson - Sound Mixer, John Midgley - Sound Recordist, George Cottle Jr. - Stunts, Andy Bennett - Stunts, Kim McGarrity - Stunts, Andy Godbold - Stunts, James O'Dee - Stunts, Jim Dowdall - Stunts Coordinator, Dave Forman - Stunts Coordinator, Ray De Haan - Stunts Coordinator, Marc Cass - Stunts Coordinator, Claire Tovey - Unit Production Manager, Adam Brooks - Screenwriter, Mark Levin - Screenwriter, Jennifer Flackett - Screenwriter, Martin Kenzie - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Martin Kenzie - Additional Cinematography, Debbie Smith - Production Assistant, Richard Stammers - Visual Effects Supervisor, Michelle Wright - Executive in Charge of Production, Sarah Clark - Unit Publicist, The Casting Collective Limited - Background Artist, Kathy Nelson - Executive Music Producer, Robert Dibble - First Assistant Camera, Oliver Loncraine - First Assistant Camera, Spencer Murray - First Assistant Camera, Reg Boddy - Gaffer, Robert Brown - Gaffer, Rocky Evans - Gaffer, Alex Scott - Gaffer, Stuart Bunting - Grip, Bill Geddes - Key Grip, Graham Sutton - Music Editor, The London Metropolitan Orchestra - Musical Performer, Tania Windsor Blunden - Post Production Supervisor, Simon Fraser - Production Coordinator, Winnie Wishart - Production Coordinator, John Allenby - Properties Master, Tim Cavagin - Re-Recording Mixer, Steve Single - Re-Recording Mixer, Jenny Reid - Script Supervisor, Louise Wade - Script Supervisor, Beverley Winston - Script Supervisor, Tamana Bleasdale - Second Assistant Director, Matt Carver - Second Assistant Director, Emma Griffiths - Second Assistant Director, Stephen Morley - Still Photographer, Laurie Sparham - Still Photographer, Ollie Upton - Still Photographer, Campbell Askew - Supervising Sound Editor, Stefan Drury - Visual Effects Producer, Nadia Dunn-Hill - Assistant Costumer Designer, Benjamin Pugh - Assistant Location Manager, Sarah Shepherd - Assistant Location Manager, Tony Davis - Assistant Production Coordinator, Kenny Macdonald - Assistant Production Coordinator, Sam Auguste - Assistant Sound Editor, Emily Craig - Casting Assistant, Richard Mento - Casting Associate, Marj Joscelyne - Construction Coordinator, Philip Goldsworthy - Costumes Assistant, Joanne Hayes - Costumes Assistant, Mark Lewis - Costumes Assistant, Helen Slaymaker - Costumes Assistant, Kirsty Wilkinson - Costumes Assistant, Suzy Freeman - Costumes Supervisor, Nigel Mills - Dialogue Editor, Daniel Laurie - Dialogue Editor, Stephen Morahan - Draftsman, Patricia Johnson - Draftsman, Martin Welland - Electrician, David Sinfield - Electrician, John Turner - Electrician, Billy Dunn - Electrician, Danny Espey - Electrician, Steve Finberg - Electrician, Eifion Hughes - Electrician, Jamie Hunt - Electrician, Paul Kelly - Electrician, Bernie O'Brian - Electrician, Steve Powten - Electrician, Scott Rampton - Electrician, Dave Taylor - Electrician, William Thornhill - Electrician, Daniel Tyler - Electrician, Samia Fadli - Extra Casting, Bill Campbell - First Assistant Editor, Peter Burgis - Foley Artist, Andi Derrick - Foley Artist, Arthur Grailey - Foley Editor, Aliza James - Personal Assistant, Chloe Dorigan - Personal Assistant, Josephine Davies - Personal Assistant, Sasha Markova - Personal Assistant, Adam Morane-Griffiths - Personal Assistant, Andrew Noble - Personal Assistant, Matt Plumb - Personal Assistant, Sarah-Jane Wright - Production Executive, Steve Mitchell - Scenic Artist, Richard Hall - Scenic Artist, René Adefarasin - Second Assistant Camera, Shaun Cobley - Second Assistant Camera, Sam Barnes - Second Assistant Camera, Rodrigo Gutierrez - Second Assistant Camera, Chaz Lyon - Second Assistant Camera, Jo-Anne Dixon - Second Assistant Editor, Moving Picture Company - Visual Effects, Caroline Cobbold - Set Decorator, Abigail Barbier - ADR Voice Casting, Louis Elman Amps - ADR Voice Casting, Sophie Jackson - Cable Person, Nigel Heath - Foley Mixer, Alan Grosch - Generator Operator, Colin Townsend - Generator Operator, Cutting Edge - Negative Cutter, Patrick Michael Roddam - Runner, Helen Chapman - Runner, Sam Ehren - Runner, Tori Handsley - Runner, Sam Hoare - Runner, Alex Hobbs - Runner, Patrick Barr - Set Medic/First Aid, Victoria Allen - Third Assistant Director, Ollie Kersey - Third Assistant Director, Dylan Jones - Video Assist, Ross Mcnamara - Video Assist, Mario Spanna - Video Assist, Jabez Olssen - Visual Effects Editor, Meike Meng - Graphic Design, Mary Mackenzie - Graphic Design, Juan Fernandez - Carpenter, Colin Wright - Carpenter, Paul Beeson - Carpenter, Manuel Villar - Carpenter, Simon Faldon - Carpenter, David Mayhew - Carpenter, Mark Quarrington - Carpenter, Marcus Walther - Carpenter, Jason Whyman - Carpenter, Kevin Harris - Standby Carpenter, Stephen McGregor - Standby Carpenter, Jessica Norman - Compositor, Doug Larmour - Compositor, Russell Horth - Compositor, Marios Theodosi - Compositor, Jolene McCaffrey - Compositor, Scott Pritchard - Compositor, Ben Morgan - Compositor, Murray Barber - Compositor, Angela Barson - Compositor, Lyse Beck - Compositor, Mark Curtis - Lead Compositor, Martin Hedinger - Painter, Brian Western - Painter, Larry Gooch - Painter
Paul Bettany plays Peter Colt, a journeyman British professional tennis player ranked 119th in the world. He earns a wildcard spot to the Wimbledon tournament. Tired of it all, he resolves to quit after this last tournament, and even gets a job to coach tennis at a country club. However, as Wimbledon begins, Peter meets and falls in love with Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), a young, brilliant, American tennis pro. As their love grows, Peter's game gets better and better, winning his semi-final match in straight sets — while Lizzie loses hers, having lost her focus after a night together with Peter. Peter begins playing the final match against Jake Hammond, an arrogant American star who Peter has already had an argument with involving Lizzie, but finds himself outclassed. Lizzie, on her way home to America, sees an interview in which Peter apologizes, and comes back to Wimbledon. With Lizzie cheering him on, Peter wins the title, and retires. He and Lizzie marry, and Lizzie goes on to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon twice. In the last scene Peter is with his and Lizzie's youngest child, a boy, watching Lizzie and their eldest child, a girl, play tennis together on a New York court.
The actors served with real tennis balls. All others were added digitally.
Filming locations
Some scenes were filmed during the Championships in 2003 between matches. It is the only time in the history of the tournament that this has been allowed.
The London Zoo's entrance was used for the entrance to Wimbledon.
Pat Cash was the tennis adviser on set and trained the actors.
According to the DVD commentary, Maria Sharapova was turned down to play one of Lizzie's opponents because she looked too much like Kirsten Dunst from a distance.
