The Greatest Game Ever Played

The Greatest Game Ever Played is a biographical sports film based on the early life of golf champion Francis Ouimet. The film was directed by Bill Paxton; Shia LaBeouf plays the role of Ouimet. It was produced by Imagine Entertainment and is distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The film's screenplay was adapted by Mark Frost from his book, The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf. It was shot in Montreal, Quebec, with the Kahnawake Golf Club being the site of golf sequences.

Plot
Set mainly in 1913, the film is about Francis Ouimet, the first amateur to win a U.S. Open. Golf in that era was considered a sport only for the wealthy and privileged, and Francis came from an immigrant family that was part of the low working class. Francis watches an exhibition by legendary British golf pro Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) as a 7-year-old boy, and becomes very interested in golf. He begins as a caddy at The Country Club, a posh enclave located across the street from his home in suburban Brookline, Massachusetts, while making friends with the other caddies. He works on his own golf game at every chance, and gradually accumulates his own set of clubs. Francis is so interested that we see him practicing putting at night in his room. He wins the Massachusetts Schoolboy Championship.

One day, a gentleman asks Francis to play with him over The Country Club course, where caddies have almost no access of their own, and he shoots a fine round of 81 despite a triple bogey. His talent, composure, and good manners earn admirers and interest; with the help of the gentleman, Francis gets a chance to play in an upcoming tournament, the U.S. Amateur, the local qualifying for which is to be held at the very same Country Club course. However, his father Arthur (Elias Koteas) tells his son to quit golf and get a "real job". Francis needs $50 for the entry fee, and so agrees to get a real job and never play golf again if he could not qualify; his father lends him the money. On the 18th, Francis faces a three-foot putt that would secure him a spot in the championship, but he looks over and his father is watching. Francis is distracted, misses and falls one stroke short of qualifying for the championship proper.

With much jeer from the rich folk, Francis, now 20, fulfills his promise to his dad and works at a sporting goods shop, while continuing to live at home. After some time with his golf forgotten, Francis is still at the bottom of the working class. But one day, the president of the United States Golf Association enters the store and personally invites him to play in the upcoming U.S. Open; after some maneuvering and consideration from his employer, Francis secures entry. His father informs Francis that he must find his own place to live after the tournament; Francis agrees. However, his mother has been supportive of his golf from the start.

Francis competes in the 1913 U.S. Open that takes place at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, the familiar course located across the street from his home. Against all odds, with ten-year-old Eddie Lowery (Josh Flitter) playing hookey from school to caddy for him, he manages to beat the British champions Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, considered the world's best golfers, in an 18-hole playoff, following their three-way tie after the regulation 72 holes, and becomes the first amateur to ever win the U.S. Open. His extraordinary feat even wins over his father. Francis becomes a national hero, his play receives enormous news coverage, and the image of golf as a rich man's sport is gone forever in the United States.

Cast

 * Shia LaBeouf as Francis Ouimet
 * Stephen Dillane as Harry Vardon
 * Josh Flitter as Eddie Lowery
 * Peter Firth as Lord Northcliffe
 * Peyton List as Sarah Wallis
 * Elias Koteas as Arthur Ouimet
 * Len Cariou as Stedman Comstock
 * Stephen Marcus as Ted Ray
 * Max Kasch as Freddie Wallis
 * Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang as Baritone

Production Credits

 * Directed by Bill Paxton
 * Produced by Brian Grazer, David Blocker, Larry Brezner, Mark Frost
 * Music by Brian Tyler
 * Cinematography: Shane Hurlbut
 * Editing by Elliot Graham
 * Studio: Imagine Entertainment, Fairway Films
 * Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
 * Release date: September 30, 2005
 * Running time 120 minutes
 * Country United States
 * Language English
 * Budget $25 million
 * Box office $52,930,646

Critical reception
The film received mixed to generally positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes 62% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 109 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes considers it "fresh" and summarizes it saying "Despite all the underdog sports movie conventions, the likable cast and lush production values make The Greatest Game Ever Played a solid and uplifting tale." By contrast, Metacritic gave it a score of 55 out of 100.

Video
The film has been released on DVD by the Walt Disney company. Special features include two "making of" documentaries with cast and crew members, plus a rare 1963 interview with the real Francis Ouimet on WGBH, the Boston public television station, at Brookline, Massachusetts golf course where the 1913 U.S. Open took place.