A Phantom of the Open assessment has an apparent downside – what precisely are you reviewing? Sure, clearly the characteristic movie of that title, however what precisely is that this supposed to be – a love story, a mirrored image on the significance of household, a farce, a witty comedy, a fantasy, a critique of the category construction, a docudrama, or a piece of fiction? In truth it’s all of this stuff at numerous instances.
A True Story… Ish
It’s based mostly on a real story, that of Maurice Flitcroft who, in his 40s, determined he wished to win The Open Championship. So he took up golf; nicely, type of. He didn’t be part of a membership, and even play a single spherical of golf at a municipal course. What he did was get some mail order golf equipment and hit balls on the seaside, fields and open areas – after which enter Qualifying for The Open Championship of 1976.
He had no handicap, not to mention one low sufficient to permit him to enter Open Qualifying, so he entered as a ‘skilled’. His first-ever spherical of golf was in Open Qualifying. He shot 121. He was thrown out.
Through the years he continued to attempt to enter high competitions as a skilled golfer utilizing quite a lot of pseudonyms. He did handle to get into Open Qualifying once more, earlier than being rumbled after taking part in just a few holes and being thrown out once more.
The movie has some genuinely humorous deadpan traces. Mark Rylance provides an excellent efficiency and makes Maurice Flitcroft extra likeable than the ebook on which the movie relies – ebook and movie have the identical writers, Simon Farnaby and Scott Murray – suggests he was.
Golf Purists Will See Holes
The movie is superbly shot. That a number of the golf sequences don’t ring true could offend some purists – caddies standing holding the flag with the bag on his shoulder; golf equipment grounded in bunkers, caddies strolling right into a bunker to speak to the participant – however the film-makers can all the time excuse this as Flitcroft and his caddies having little concept what there have been doing.
Others could also be extra irritated by the mangling of historical past. There’s a good story to be advised factually. As a substitute we get chunks of inventive licence which counsel that the scriptwriters weren’t assured sufficient of the fabric. For instance, the script has the primary stage of Open qualifying televised dwell and watched by an enormous tv viewers in addition to by massive crowds on the course. In direction of the top of the movie we get a golfer, clearly meant to be Tiger Woods (though the script is cautious by no means to call him) giving a speech in honour of Flitcroft explaining he was about to surrender the sport, however seeing Flitcroft 4 putt in Open qualifying made him rethink.
At different instances the film-makers are eager to indicate simply how correct their movie is. Clips of Flitcroft’s media appearances are proven in the direction of the top to show that the characteristic movie has quoted sections of those phrase for phrase.
The Phantom of the Open is pleasant, diverting and has a number of laugh-out-loud moments. However finally it can’t determine which stool it needs to take a seat on and falls, albeit elegantly, between all of them.
The Phantom of the Open (PG13), directed by Craig Roberts and starring Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins, opens nationwide on March 18, 2022.