The Greatest Game Ever Played

The most visually and emotionally dynamic film ever made about a game of golf — perhaps the most visually and emotionally dynamic possible film about a game of golf.

...the veteran British character actor is so good as Vardon I can't imagine another inhabiting the role so wonderfully. Dillane adds so many layers, so many idiosyncratic quirks, that the golfer comes to life the very first moment he takes the screen.

Ouimet versus Vardon probably was the greatest golf game ever played, and Paxton and Frost do it justice, but I wouldn't sit through another simulated hole of it for Tiger Woods's salary.

I know it's all about how well they construct the journey, but I just kind of felt like, okay, we know exactly what's going to happen here.

The Greatest Game never thrills on an emotional level the way the best of sports films -- a Hoosiers, say -- can, but it's a satisfying entertainment nonetheless.

The game is full of suspense, twists and turns. The characters are fascinating. The locations, sets and costume designs are all first-rate. The story is held back by the Disney formula, but is strong enough to overcome it.

The characters model some wonderful behavior for youngsters%u2014things like tolerance, restraint, persistence, good manners, and good sportsmanship. Things that, sadly, seem to have gone the way of knickers.

I don't want to just take their word for it! Show me what was so special about this guy's game!!

Greatest Game succeeds because it has enough history and authenticity to please golf enthusiasts while maintaining enough heart and human drama to appeal to the rest.