The Greatest Game Ever Played

Wow, here is another great golf movie. That's at least three in the past few years that I've really enjoyed, that were well-done, beautifully-filmed and inspirational. The other two were "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius" and "The Legend Of Bagger Vance."

This is a true underdog story, if there ever was one. To have an amateur defeat all the professionals and win the United States Open Golf Tournament - which really did happen - is an unheard-of feat. Francis Ouimet's victory over golf legends Harry Vardon and Ted Ray is fact. It is an amazing story and the filmmakers did a super job in presenting it here. It isn't something just for golf fans; this is a fun movie. Kudso to actor-turned-director Bill Paxton for an outstanding job.

Shia LaBeouf is winsome as Ouimet as is Steven Dillane as Vardon. For those who don't know, Vardon was like the Tiger Woods of his day, maybe even more unbeatable. In the film, Vardon is pictured as a warm, nice guy; a genuine human being. the other major competitor, Ray (Stephen Marcus) is shown as somewhat of a brutish nasty guy.

The fourth main character of this golf story might be the coolest person in the film: a fifth-grade boy who winds up being Ouimet's caddie in the Open. He (Josh Flitter) brings a lot of humor and charm to the movie.

As with another sports film of 2005 - "Cinderella Man" - here is another excellent movie that got unjustly ignored when it came to awards. I guess nice films don't win awards.....just the hearts of their viewers.

Good family film with lessons for parents and children to pursue their dreams but remember reality.

It was a great movie, if your friend, spouse, boyfriend ,or girlfriend enjoys golf this is a great gift. I gave it to
my husband as a surpirse and he was thrilled. It was very entertaining and interesting and well done.

This is an inspirational true story that sports fans, especially golf fans should see. It has been quoted as the first "underdog success story in American sports".

If you are interested in the movie, I strongly urge you to read Mark Frost's book by the same name. The book has much more details and spends a great deal of time explaining the historical context and the birth of modern golf. I found the movie disappointing after reading the book, but that is to be expected since the movie must omit many details (the book is 475 pages).

Without having read the book, I would have definitely missed some of the details of the movie such as Vardon's wrist twitching. Furthermore, I am a bit confused as to why Vardon doesn't have a mustache in this movie when he did in real life? There are some innacuracies between the movie and the book such as the scores of the final round. It is also a shame that Walter Hagen is completely absent from the movie, since he plays an important part in the book and is an instrumental player in the birth of golf in America.

All in all, this is a truly memorable story and the movie is entertaining. Those who seek to dig a little deeper and to make sure they get the facts straight should also read the book.

This movie is a little heavy handed on the social-economic class issues. At times the story drags because of this. However, the casting is solid, and the cinematography is lovely. Best of all is the real life story of Francis Ouimet. Inspite of knowing almost nothing about golf, this movie has inspired me to research the real person. The Greatest Game Ever Played: A True Story The Bonus feature showing the interview with the real Mr. Ouimet is a definite plus.