A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Phantom of the Open” (2022).
Thanks again to #cineworld for putting “The Phantom of the Open” on as one of their preview #CineworldUnlimited screenings. The film is fully released in the UK on March 18th.
And let me tell you, you should really put a note – “Go to Cinema” – in your diary right now. What a wonderful feelgood film this really is.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Based on a ludicrous true story, Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) is an aging crane operator working at the docks in Barrow-in-Furnace. Although having never played golf in his life, he sees himself winning the British Open. So he enters!
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins, Rhys Ifans.
Directed by: Craig Roberts.
Written by: Simon Farnaby. (Based on the book by Scott Murray and Simon Farnaby).
Twitter Handle: #PhantomOfOpen.
“The Phantom of the Open” Review:
Positives:
- What a treat March has delivered in terms of quirky feelgood British comedies! First there was “The Duke” with Jim Broadbent and now this one. There are marked similarities between the two movies:
- Both are based on totally bonkers true stories.
- Both feature lovable and charismatic actors. Broadbent was kindly and twinkly in “The Duke”. Here Mark Rylance sends the twinkleometer right off the chart! He’s proved that he can do brilliant dead-pan comedy in “Don’t Look Up“. But after this one there is nothing much left in the world’s charisma bank.
- Both have stonking performances from the lady playing “‘er indoors”. The roles of Helen Mirren and Sally Hawkins are similar but differently performed. And both are tone perfect. You can feel the utter love between Mr and Mrs Flitcroft: soulmates for life.
- The script is by Simon Farnaby, who I know best as an actor (he pops up in a cameo as a pro golfer in the movie). But he also has a range of great film scripts in his CV, most notably the beloved “Paddington 2“. This shares some of the quirky humour of that movie, while also leaning on the fantasy elements of films like “Moulin Rouge” and (particularly) “Eddie the Eagle“. It works brilliantly. The British love a trier, especially a trier who is a complete loser. I found parallels between Maurice’s battle against the snooty Open Championship officials, here led by Keith Mackenzie (Rhys Ifans), and Eddie’s battle against the Olympic snob Dustin Target, played by Tim McInnerny.
- The score by the wonderful Isobel Waller-Bridge fits just perfectly and is an utter delight. I hope the soundtrack gets released.
Negatives:
- Man…. a proper critic should surely come up with something here! But I really found nothing not to love about this movie. I can’t wait to watch it again.
Summary Thoughts on “The Phantom of the Open”
Anyone who’s followed this blog for a while will know that I don’t chuck out 5* ratings willy-nilly. But I really think that this one might build to the lofty status of “feelgood British classic” with relative ease, joining the likes of “Four Weddings and a Funeral”; “Notting Hill” and “Paddington 2” as a movie you can reach for when life is getting you down and you need a morale boost.
With all the terrible footage from Ukraine continuing to flood our news, I’d strongly suggest you invest in 100 minutes of mental relief when this one opens on March 18th.
Trailer for “The Phantom of the Open”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FOQMuV0bQU . This is a trailer that made me laugh A LOT. Although having seen this 5 or 6 times at the cinema, I still end up ducking and getting a neck crick with that bit at 2:22!
