If you want a truly inspiring, funny, moving and heart warming film, then you won't go wrong with 'The Phantom of the Open'.
This tells the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a shipyard crane-operator from Barrow-in-Furness, who decided he was going to enter the British Open Golf Championship. The film is directed by Craig Roberts and based on the biography The Phantom of the Open: Maurice Flitcroft, The World's Worst Golfer by Farnaby and Scott Murray.
Mark Rylance is cast just perfectly as the optimistic and passionate Maurice and as you would expect absolutely shines in this, alongside Sally Hawkins as his wife Jean, who is superb too as his supportive wife.
Maurice entered the British Open numerous times under many different names and guises, trying to get round the various bans on him entering. It is one of those stories which is just a delight because it's true. We need to have more films of wonderful stories of real people who just put themselves out there and try and have a go. 'The Duke' and now this have re-told two of these wonderful stories. I think we need a bit more of this in the world right now.
Music in a film is so important. When I feel it is just right it manages to lift me up and I glide along with it as if I'm on a magic carpet. The soundtrack to this film had that effect and I found myself toe-tapping along to The Drifters, Leo Sayer, The Foundations and Abba to name a few. Alongside the soundtrack is also a great score by Isobel Waller-Bridge, who is yes, the sister of Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The film mixes in 'footage' of Maurice playing golf on TV and completely in the format and style of the era, which is a nice touch. In fact there is a lot of that colour of the era and style blended throughout the film in various ways, which just makes it stand out even more and it becomes like a painting of Maurice's life.
There is also a nice touch of including the story about his twin sons who go off into the world hoping to become dancers, with the inspirational words of their Dad in their ears. It adds a good diversion from the main story. As well as adding in the dynamic of his other son who is less than impressed by his father's golfing ambitions and the impact that has on his work.
It would also be remiss of me to not mention Rhys Ifans who plays Keith MacKenzie as the ever-increasingly frustrated stuffy club secretary. It's the kind of character who makes you want to boo, especially when he tries to order Maurice off the course!
This was a delightful mix of comedy and drama all just woven together in this lovely package which just had that magical certain something about it.
I'm not even going to pretend I didn't cry. Thank god there was no one in the back row with me or the three rows in front! It was worthy of it though. A lovely true inspirational story and I'm very pleased that I got to discover the wonderful tale of Maurice on the beautiful silver screen.
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