Okay, I’ll stop with the golf puns, even I know they were rough (that’s it now, I promise) but in all seriousness, it’s going to be hard to find another film in 2022 that’s as charming and heart-warming as The Phantom of the Open. Mark Rylance plays the role of the eccentric real-life Maurice Flitcroft to perfection in this absolute delight of a film.
Despite having never played a round of golf in his life, Maurice Flitcroft decided to enter the 1976 British Open and he subsequently shot the worst round of golf in the history of the Open but in doing so Flitcroft becomes a hero.
It’s films like The Phantom of the Open that really remind you of the joys of life. Even if you’ve never shot a round of golf before, who says you can’t enter the British Open? Don’t let anything stand in your way of achieving what you want to achieve. Keep on dreaming and make that dream a reality. Maurice Flitcroft is an absolute gem and Mark Rylance brings his humility and warmth to the screen with such magnetism leaving you completely hooked.
Written by Simon Farnaby (who also wrote the just as charming Paddington 2) there’s enough wit and surrealism to the film that it never feels generic or by-the-books and there’s enough genuine heart and emotion to the film that it doesn’t feel like we’re laughing at Maurice, we’re laughing with him. And it really feels good to be in a packed cinema once again with the whole crowd laughing together at certain scenes. There are laugh out loud moments, in particular, when Maurice decides to enter the Open again- despite being not allowed to enter- and disguises himself as a Frenchman.
Sally Hawkins adds even more charisma to the film as Flitcroft’s wife Jean and it’s as much a film about family as it is about golf. The ongoing struggle between the careers and hobbies of Jean and Maurice’s kids as well as their future’s is constantly present, and it adds so much more depth to all these characters. It’s not just a film about a loveable man in his mid-40s who decides to take up golf, it’s a film about family and doing what you want to do in life.
The Phantom of the Open oozes in its charm and its warmth and within minutes it’s clear just how loveable it is. It’s one of those films that you’ll want to watch over and over again because it’s impossible not to fall in love with this absolute gem of a film.
The Phantom of the Open is released in cinemas on March 18th.