Phantom Of The Open

There are few movies where I can genuinely say I laughed till I cried, but there were two hysterical spots in this movie that were so funny I thought I was going to wet myself. I can assure you this is not a normal response from this jaded hack so this movie must have been exceptional.

Maurice Flitcroft , played by Mark Rylance (not a fan) was a crane driver who facing redundancy and having some free time now his family had grown up, decided to enter the British Open Golf Championship, as nothing less than a professional player, when he had never hit a golf ball. A not dissimilar predicament to Eddie-The-Eagle Edwards and his skiing.

Of course he was terrible, appalling and practically a one man rabble around the greens, but the British love both an underdog and a tryer so he captured the public imagination and became famous overnight.

It was a brilliant script that moved from pathos, to farce, to slapstick and back again with ease. The dialogue between the characters was masterful in capturing a genuine warmness and humanity between the Flitcroft family members.

It was very much a brilliant ensemble performance, Mark Rylance, from the minimalist school, did predictably little, however this was perfectly in tune, for once, with the character being portrayed.

This movie was a total gem, it is a very British story for a British audience, it is not about golf at all but about giving it a go in life and following your dreams and as Maurice said "practice makes perfect".

I'm giving this a 10 outta 10 for making me laugh and cry and the same time!

An extraordinary film, about a quite extraordinary bloke, who lived out his dreams, through excessive golf strokes, teed it up from the off, hole in one all the way, bunkered blinkered tradition, hats off and fair play.

Just a wonderful film, beautiful performances, brilliant direction, will make you laugh and cry. Mark Rylance is so believable and empathetic and Sally Hawkins is lovely as his wife, great turns from the rest of the cast too.