One review on 06 May 2023

UK 2021

Running time: 106 mins

The Phantom of the Open

Director : Craig Roberts 

Setting: Barrow, Cumbria and golf courses
Summary: True story of Shipyard worker from Barrow who enters the British Open golf championship several times despite never having played before


Cast:

  • Mark Rylance  Maurice Flitcroft
  • Sally Hawkins  Jean Flitcroft (wife)
  • Jake Davies  Michael (eldest son)
  • Christian Lees  Gene (twin)
  • Jonah Lees  James (twin)


Colour: Colour

Camera: 35mm


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First Seen: Sat 6th May 2023
Catalogued: 8th May 2023

Synopsis

Maurice (Mark Rylance) works in the dockyard as a crane driver and marries Jean (Sally Hawkins) a secretary in the works office. She has a son (Jake Davies) and together they have twins (Christian & Jonah Lees). At age 46 the olderboy has been to college and got a management job at the office and warns his dad of impending redundancies. Maurice decides to take up golf with the ambition of playing in the Open.

Comedic fun ensues as he encounters the snobbery of the golf club establishment but gets his application to enter the Open accepted and plays a 112 round in the qualifiers.He becomes a people's hero (of sorts) and continues to enter the open under assumed names in disuise (having been barred). The twins support him (they have a short lived career following their dreams of winning the disco dancing world championships) but the elder brother is caught between the management view that is is disgracing the shipyard's name and familial loyalty.

All gets resolved when Mausice and familiy are invited to the states where a club has been holding a Maurice Flitcroft competition event for 10 years. 

Reviews

by rogerco on Sat 6th May 2023 DVD proj @ home

Good clean fun

Summary

with the added frisson of being a true story

Full review

An English "follow your dream" caper, not rags-to-riches but more live your own life and don't let the bastards grind you down.

A bit sentimental but basically honest (if not exactly trulitcroft's family - who knows? or cares?). Some slapstick (capsizing the golf cart in a keystone cops pursuit), plenty of fun poked at snobbery.