Easygoer10 SPOILER: Overall, I liked the film, primarily on the strength of Stephen Dillane's and Shia LeBeouf's performances. Simple truths are completely ignored. For example Francis' father (Elias Koteas) is a ditch digger. I cannot think of a lower paying wage one could have. That noted, he has a nice home, raises a family of 5, go to the opera (!), etc. I found this ridiculous.Also Peter Firth's (playing a British Lord) character arc as the most antagonistic person is much too heavy handed. It goes far beyond class differences and into the realm of comedy. I won't even mention his lines; one can simply look at his clothing and makeup and find it laughable. A silly, pasted on mustache coupled with a hat 2 sizes too large are outrageous. Worst of all is the absolute angelic quality of Francis. In the real world, this young man would rebel to some degree. Th worst thing he does is tell his father "fine" after being told he will have to live elsewhere. There is no way one can have this much ability, be aware of it and (of course) have strong passion about it. It is ridiculous; especially in a 20 year old man. I find it unbelievable on many levels. And to think they write "This is a true story". It is not. In reality, he beat Vardon by several strokes and it was far back to 4th place in the 1913 US Open after 4 rounds were played.As usual, in became a "docudrama"; Bill Paxton or Disney should have written (at the beginning) BASED on a true story.

leonblackwood Review: After many years of this movies release, I finally got to watch it and I quite enjoyed it. It is your typical feel good Disney movie but I did like the cast and the usual zero to hero concept. Its about a golf caddie, Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) who has a dream to become the best golfer in the world but he hasn't got the money to enter the sport. After getting the backing from some people who believe in his talent, he works his way up the ranks to take on the best players in the world. Its not the most original storyline but there are some other elements which made the movie interesting. All of the performances were great, especially from a young LaBeouf who showed up some of the older actors. I personally liked the coolness of Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) who was fighting against the politics in the sport during that period. I also liked Francis's caddie and Ted Ray who was the larger English golfer. Anyway, there is some intensity throughout the golf matches which actually made the game quite interesting, for once. It reminded me a lot of the Rookie, which had the same type of concept were his dad wanted him to make an honest living to put food on the table. Although the concept is basic, it's still a watchable movie which we all can relate to and the fact that it's based on real characters, made it a joy to watch. Enjoyable!Round-Up: Shia LaBeouf, 29, is another one of those actors that started his acting career at a young age. His first film was in 1986 in a film called Monkey Business but he hit it big when this film was released. He had small roles in I, Robot, Constantine, Dumb and Dumberer, Charlie Angels: Full Throttle and Bobby but he hasn't stopped working since he played the lead in Disturbia in 2007. He then got the lead in the Transformers franchise alongside Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was very disappointing and he also played the lead in the Wall Street remake which was no way as good as the original. Anyway, his movies have grossed over $2Billion at the box office so at 29, he's achieved a lot in his career. This movie was directed by the great Bill Paxton whose famous for his one liners in Aliens and Predator 2. This is the second movie he has directed, after the 2001 movie Frailty which he also starred in, so he hasn't got that much experience behind the camera but he still done a good job with this film. He covered the period well and his great cast choice made this movie a hit at the box office. There are some little touches, like the caterpillar on the golf ball, which were great so it's definitely worth a watch.Budget: $25million Worldwide Gross: $53millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/history/sports movies about a young caddie who uses his golfing skills to take on some of the biggest golf players in the world. 5/10

ma-cortes An emotive tale of triumph and redemption , being based on a true story . Sport film with sentimental story and intelligent character studio . Classic story rings true because of Shia Labeouf's complex and adequate acting and stunningly realized by director Bill Paxton . Exceptional Shia Labeouf displaying a first rate performance reaching an important milestone and a terrific Stephen Dillane as his upright as well as serious contender . In the 1913 US Open, 20-year-old Francis Ouimet (Shia Labeouf) gets a chance as he played against his idol, 1900 US Open champion , Englishman Harry Vardon (Stephan Dillane) . Amateur player Francis gets to achieve for big time , thanks to the coach , as he triumphs over by odds , but sheer determination helps them attain their dream . Ouimet dreams of playing final Open , as he gets the chance to participate in the International Golf Championship against his idol , no matter how far-fetched the dream . Meanwhile , he falls in love for a rich young girl called Sarah Wallis (Peyton List) . But he has an intelligent skill to no match for the class boundaries ; however , being pressurized by his father (Elias Koteas) . From the studio that brought you ¨The rookie¨ , ¨Miracle¨ and ¨Remember the Titans¨ is realized this agreeable tale based on the 1913 USA Open in which took part famous international champs , it contains a classic plot and deals about a slice of American history , and is plenty of good feeling , heartfelt, interesting characters and formidable performances . However , sometimes is some sentimental and predictable but is still pretty amusing . Correctly based on real events as the actual Francis Ouimet and Eddie Lowery remained life long friends . When Ouimet died in 1967, Lowery was one of the pall-bearers . Likable and enjoyable plot about a young golfer and his coach and caddie , both of them face the dual challenge to win a world championship and redeeming themselves . Splendid film from the filmmaker Bill Paxton and writer/producer Mark Frost of another David beats Goliath sports movie , similarly to ¨Rudy¨ with Sean Astin and ¨Hoosiers¨ with Gene Hackman , and it is even better than ¨The legend of Bagger Vance¨ with Will Smith and Matt Damon . Sentimental plot stretches Hollywood manipulation , but is still entertaining . Shia LaBeouf delivers an engaging acting as Francis Ouimet ; he is backed by a good supporting cast such as Luke Askew as Alec Campbell , Stephen Marcus as Ted Ray , Peter Firth as Lord Northcliffe , Len Cariou as Stedman , Elias Koteas as his stiff father Arthur Ouimet and special mention to Stephan Dillane as Harry Vardon , protagonist's idol as well as contender . Spectacular and rousing musical score by Brian Tyler , fitting perfectly to action . Fine production design and good sets , filmmakers had trouble filling the fields with extras for the final game, and needed to move people around when shooting different angles ; extras were given 1910's hairstyles and their clothing was checked for anachronisms . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Shane Hurlbut ; filmed at the Kanawaki Golf Club outside Montreal, Quebec, producers had the club house painted yellow for the film from its original white. Members so liked the change that they kept the color following filming. The motion picture was compellingly directed by Bill Paxton , he's a notorious producer/director and especially actor ; being this one his second film , the first one was a nice terror film titled ¨Frailty¨ with Matthew McConaughey . Rating : Better than average , worthwhile seeing .

Joe McDonnell I actually trawled through the entire set of reviews, searching for the ones which gave this film less than 5 stars. They were few and far between. Which is utterly baffling! Yes, I know it's a Disney film and it isn't directed by Christopher Nolan, but good Lord. This is straight-to-the-bargain-bucket nonsense. They should've had done with it and animated the bloody thing.And what's even worse is the fact that IMDb won't let me simply finish my rant there, because my review needs to be longer! The "Awesome" in-game camera shots are LITERALLY taken from Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf on the Playstation, the story plods like a sulking school boy, the multi-stranded character and plot development cripples an already weak setup, and the grand finale is plain boring.Aside from that, it really was the greatest film I've ever seen in my entire life. Good, authentic-looking costumes, sets and sports equipment. There, I said it.