User Reviews

Takes a few liberties. He only ever competed in open qualifying, which is not the real open. Qualifying was never televised and still isn't . Mark Rylance is a bit un convincing as Maurice. Rest of cast great and worth watching. It's a BBC film so on television in a year or so.

So, I knew I had to see this when first advertised! It looked good!

The film follows Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and an unrelenting optimist, managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship Qualifying in 1976 and subsequently shot the worst round in Open history, becoming a folk hero in the process! The film sees the highs & lows that Maurice, his wife & 3 kids go through as he goes on in his journey!

I found the film to be pretty good! It's story telling is beautifully illustrated & you really do feel for a Maurice who wants to make it big despite the world around him not sharing his enthusiasm! It's sad & funny too with some relatable moments in the film which we can all relate to! The film is pretty well paced with a runtime of 103 minutes!

Overall, it's pretty good film! You'll enjoy it the second you start to watch!

7/10.

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!

Some of the best films based on real people and events are "stranger than fiction", and this is a great example of that kind of story, and one getting positive reviews that I looked forward to, directed by Craig Roberts, star of Submarine. Based on the true story, set in the 1970s, Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) is a middle-aged shipyard crane operator and optimistic dreamer from Barrow-in-Furness, married to Jean (Sally Hawkins), with her son from her previous marriage, Michael (Jake Davies) who Maurice adopts, and their own sons, identical twins James and Gene (Christian and Jonah Lees). Maurice is happy with his family life, but perhaps bored by his job and wants to achieve something. Meanwhile, the twins are competing in many local and further dance competitions, often for cash prizes, during the disco dancing craze of the time, and find themselves becoming successful. Then one night, whilst trying to work out how to turn the (recently purchased) television off, Maurice happens upon a broadcast of the 1974 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship. Soon after seeing this televised golf tournament, he is determined to enter the competition, and hopes to win the £10,000 prize. He contacts the broadcasters to enquire about how to enter the Open Championship and starts practising playing golf. He initially tries to become a member at a professional golf course and club, but is refused, so he sneaks in after closing hours to practise. He also practises in various other locations at work, on the beach and elsewhere, and borrows books from the library about golfing. When Maurice does receive the application form to compete in the next Open Championship, Jean helps him to fill it in. This includes detailing his handicap, which they interpret as his ailments, e.g. False teeth (it is actually his playing ability), and the claim that he is "professional". At the 1976 Open Championship, Maurice is accompanied by his twin sons as caddies, and has purchased a red hat and checkered vest for the occasion. The professional golfers and Keith Mackenzie (Rhys Ifans), secretary of the R&A (Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews), are curious about him. The professionals hit their balls under par with no problems, but Maurice becomes notorious with the crowd, the commentators and press coverage for his numerous attempts to hit the ball. Those watching on the course and at home are amused and fascinated by his lack of skills, his failure to hit the ball further than a few metres, and his jovial attitude and reactions to his progress. Michael is humiliated when his work colleagues see Maurice and his bad playing on the television, and there is concern it will ruin his reputation at work. In a matter of moments, the press is spreading the word about his high scoring, to which Mackenzie tries to force Maurice to leave and stop any further humiliation, but Maurice refuses. In the end, Maurice achieves a score of 121, the worst score recorded at the Open Championship. Although he is referred to as "the world's worst golfer", he accepts many opportunities to be paid by the media for interviews and television appearances. Maurice has ambitions to return to the Open Championship and try again, but he is refused and banned. However, he comes up with a plan to enter again under a different identity and disguises himself with a large fake moustache and sunglasses, posing as French "professional" player Gerald Hoppy. Soon enough though, Mackenzie and the other tournament runners recognise him and try to catch him, but he manages to escape. Maurice tries numerous times again to enter the Open Championship, and other major golf tournaments and competitions, all with the same results. Maurice is eventually given a lifetime ban but was undeterred by failure, supported by his wife and children, and became a folk hero, facing adversity and pursuing his dreams and shooting for the stars. The end credits show archive footage of the real Maurice Flitcroft in interviews and on television shows, which is interesting. Also starring Mark Lewis Jones as Cliff, Johann Myers as Willie, Simon Farnaby (also writing) as Laurent Lambert, Steve Oram as Gerald Hopkins, and Tim Steed as John Pegg. Rylance gives a charmingly earnest performance as the ambitious amateur golfer who always remained positive despite his lack of experience, Hawkins does well as his wife, and Ifans is fine during his time onscreen. It is a feel-good story of an underdog who defied the odds and captured the hearts of the nation, the disco dancing subplot does well also, it is funny at all the right moments, the leading character is one of the most loveable you can think of, and the period detail from costumes to the disco era, a truly British, fun, and enjoyable biographical sports comedy-drama. Very good!