WIMBLEDON

Paul Bettany, as a seemingly washed up pro-tennis player, is a charming lead, despite his disarmingly absent eyebrows.

Wimbledon is one of those movies that is inoffensively pleasant and watchable, then leaves your mind as soon as you've finished it. There is nothing wrong with it, and it certainly is agreeable enough watch, but it doesn't really stand out in the romantic comedy/drama genre.

Paul Bettany plays Peter Colt, a 31-year-old British tennis pro. That is, an OLD tennis pro. He has never quite made it to the top of the ranks; at best he ranked number 11 in the world, and was known to choke in big tournaments when it counted. Now ranked 100-something in the world, he has been allowed one last hurrah: a wild-card entry in the famous Wimbledon tennis tournament. Win or lose, screw it, he's going to retire afterwards to teach tennis to country-club ladies. But of course there are two things he didn't bet on: Kirsten Dunst, and actually starting to win again!

Wimbledon makes a love match (note my clever play on words!) between Colt's washed-up pro, and the young up-and-comer American Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst). The question comes in to play about whether it is good to have some hanky-panky in the middle of a tournament. You always hear about the superstitions of no sex during competition, so it is kind of fun to see that challenged in a sport that thrives on lucky colors, shoes, rackets, and even ball boys (this is touched upon in the extras). What helps one player might seemingly hurt another, and that is the catch to this romance.

After stealing more than one movie from Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), Paul Bettany finally gets his chance to shine as a lead. He is charming, despite his disarmingly absent eyebrows. He and Dunst have a playful chemistry together, starting from the moment they meet cute (she is naked in the shower), to her cheering him in the stands as he starts to win. Sam Neill appears as Lizzie's father, and doesn't have much to do, except struggle with his American accent. Recognizable tennis stars make cameos as themselves, with John McEnroe and Chris Evert appearing as announcers (they seem to be having a good 'ol time).

Obviously, from the real tennis stars appearing in the movie, to the careful professional coaching of the actors to make them passable professional players, a lot of attention went into Wimbledon's authenticity. The extras even show how the filmmakers were agog that they actually got permission to film at the actual revered Wimbledon tennis grounds.

But perhaps you have to have more than a passing interest in tennis to appreciate all this. Not that there is anything wrong with the film; I admire all the hard work that went into it. But other than the unusual setting (when's the last time you saw a tennis-themed sports movie?), Wimbledon, like Peter Colt, doesn't really stand out in the pack.