Summary
Professional tennis makes an unlikely but surprisingly effective backdrop for a lively romantic comedy in "Wimbledon". Peter Cort (Paul Bettany, "Master and Commander"), once ranked 11th in the world, has slipped to 119th and is heading into his last Wimbledon tournament when he runs into Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst, "The Virgin Suicides", "Spider-Man"), a rising star. The two strike up a whirlwind romance that gives his game new life--but she insists it's going to be nothing but a passing fling. Their affair heats up and Cort finds himself steadily rising through the competition while Lizzie stumbles... Of course, the ending is never really in doubt--but Bettany is a unique cinematic presence, pale and lithe, doubtful of life but also hungry for it. Thanks to him and the ever-engaging Dunst, "Wimbledon" is funnier, more suspenseful, and more touching that anyone might expect, turning a conventional flick into a genuine charmer. "--Bret Fetzer"