Romantic comedy served with a sports-movie garnish. It’s light, breezy, and just self-aware enough to know that it’s playing both games. Paul Bettany plays Peter Colt, a British tennis player at the tail end of his career. Once, he was considered a serious contender, but his ranking has since slipped to the bottom, along with his confidence. He attends this year’s Wimbledon expecting it to be his last—coasting towards a polite retirement.
But then life sends a jolt his way when the hotel front desk hands him the wrong key. He opens the door to find Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), America’s latest tennis prodigy, in the shower. She’s less offended at his intrusion than amused. He’s a familiar face, after all. And after some banter-filled conversation, they find that there’s enough spark between them to consider pursuing something more serious.
Lizzie’s father (Sam Neill), however, is concerned. He warns her that relationships during tournaments often derail focus. And it turns out that he’s right—but only half so. Lizzie starts playing like she’s on autopilot, while Peter suddenly looks ten years younger on the court. He’s winning games nobody expected him to win, and he becomes the talk of the tournament—the comeback story that came out of nowhere.
Overall, an agreeable and smart romantic comedy, even if it often seems a little too pleased with itself. Bettany’s and Dunst’s chemistry isn’t quite electric, but it’s warm enough to make their courtship worth following. You’ll see this movie’s Hollywood ending charging straight at you from its first serve, but at least the tennis scenes are filmed with just enough snap to keep the sports angle from feeling like basic set dressing, and none of it ever tips into outright sap. Chalk this up as a decent pick for a quiet evening. Preferably with a date.