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"WIMBLEDON" (2004) (Paul Bettany, Kirsten Dunst) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Minor Heavy None None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Moderate Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Romantic Dramedy: A seasoned tennis pro and an up and coming star try to balance their professional and personal lives as they compete in the Wimbledon tournament while having a fling together. PLOT: Once rated 11th in the world, tennis pro Peter Colt (PAUL BETTANY) is now ranked 119th and is about to enter his 13th and last Wimbledon tournament. Leaving his bickering parents, Edward (BERNARD HILL) and Augusta (ELEANOR BRON), back home with his younger brother, Carl (JAMES McAVOY), who has a penchant for betting against him, Peter heads off to the southern London district. Checking into the hotel, he discovers that he's accidentally been double-booked into a suite occupied by up and coming American tennis pro Lizzie Bradbury (KIRSTEN DUNST) who has no problems with him catching a glimpse of her in the buff. Sparks immediately fly and the two enter into a casual affair, agreeing to keep it private and non-committal. Buoyed by her presence, Peter unexpectedly wins in the first round, but his involvement with Lizzie doesn't sit well with her over-protective father, Dennis (SAM NEILL), who doesn't want anything or anyone to distract her. Nevertheless, the two keep seeing each other and advance through the tournament, with Peter having to play his training partner and good friend, Dieter Prohl (NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU), while keeping his eye on hot-shot young American Jake Hammond (AUSTIN NICHOLS) who warns him that Lizzie is bad news. As the tournament progresses, and Dennis does what he can to keep the two separated while Peter must deal with the reappearance of his long-lost agent, Ron Roth (JON FAVREAU), who wants to capitalize on his former client's sudden success, the seasoned pro and the relative newcomer must decide how to or whether they should balance their private and professional lives. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast or are into tennis, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For language, sexuality and partial nudity. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: PAUL BETTANY plays a self-doubting tennis pro who's about to close his career when his fling with Lizzie turns to love and he suddenly goes on a winning spree in Wimbledon. He uses profanity and sleeps with Lizzie. KIRSTEN DUNST plays a reportedly hot-tempered, young American pro who likes casual sex but then has her attraction to Peter interfere with her game and concentration. She uses profanity and sleeps with him. SAM NEILL plays her stern father who doesn't want anything -- including Peter -- to become a distraction to her and her game. He uses some profanity. JON FAVREAU plays Peter's long lost agent who suddenly reappears when he smells potential money out of Peter's winning streak. He uses some profanity. BERNARD HILL plays Peter's father who's temporarily moved into the old tree house after a spat with the wife. ELEANOR BRON plays his wife who's fed up but eventually reconciles with him over their son's unexpected tennis success. NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU plays Peter's training partner and eventual Wimbledon competitor who offers guidance to the tennis pro. He uses some profanity. AUSTIN NICHOLS plays an arrogant and hot shot American tennis pro who eventually plays Peter. He uses profanity and is confrontational with Peter. JAMES MCAVOY plays Peter's brother who constantly bets against him and apparently has sex with a woman. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a quick look at the content found in this romantic dramedy that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of a possible "f" word and 19 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Various instances of sexually related dialogue are present, while off-screen sex occurs (we see the couple in bed afterwards), is heard (twice - once from an unseen porn tape, the other from some older parents almost caught in the act) or is implied. A man's bare butt is briefly seen (as are quick views of his clothed crotch area) as is the shape of a woman's body behind a smoked glass shower stall door, while some scantly clad women are briefly seen. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while drinking and some smoking occurs. Some tense family material (an older couple having problems in their marriage - but played for light comedy) is present, as is some imitative behavior. A person punches another person and some people are hit by tennis balls. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Miscellaneous women have wine. Peter and Lizzie have champagne. Miscellaneous people have drinks. Miscellaneous people have wine or champagne at a match. Peter has a beer. Miscellaneous people have drinks at a cocktail reception. A woman proclaims liking sherry while another carries a bottle of booze. Peter jokingly asks what he can get Lizzie's father, including a shot of whiskey. Some people have drinks in front of them. Peter and his family have wine and make a toast with their glasses. Miscellaneous people drink. Dennis and the woman next to him have champagne in front of them in first class. BLOOD/GORE Peter has a tiny bit of blood-soaked toilet paper on his face (covering an earlier shaving nick). Dieter mentions something about "taking a sh*t." DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Peter tells his mom that his dad is mad at her after seeing her "snogging" (kissing) in the car park with someone else (and she admits she was). We then see that his dad is moving into the backyard tree house and that the parents aren't getting along (played in a light comedy fashion). They eventually get back together. While mad at the chair umpire during a match (over a bad call), Lizzie grabs her tennis racket between her legs like an erect penis and makes a related hand gesture with it. Carl routinely places bets against his brother in his tennis matches (played for comedy). Dennis tells Peter to "stop every damn thing that involves my daughter." He and Lizzie, however, continue their fling despite Dennis's wishes and attempts to keep them separated. When Peter suddenly gets hot at Wimbledon, his former agent Ron suddenly shows up, wanting to profit off his success. Jake approaches Peter and Lizzie and snidely asks her, "Are you screwing him? You are, aren't you?" He then starts to say, "You really are a cheap..." but Peter punches him in the face, sending him to the ground. Carl implies that he sold a snapshot of Peter and Lizzie for money that he could use to bet on his brother's upcoming match. Peter lies to Lizzie's dad about her being there with him (to cover for her, but she eventually makes her presence known). Edward implies that what he's cooking on his small grill is a rabbit earlier seen in his wife's garden (some viewers might not like the thought of that). Mad at Peter after losing, Lizzie angrily asks if he's shown up needing "to screw me" before his match. Ron unintentionally interrupts the Wimbledon finals when his cell phone rings. FRIGHTENING SCENES None. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Taking a sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Bullsh*tting me," "Scared sh*tless," "Little sh*t," "Love is sh*t," "Snogging" (Kissing), "Shut up, you silly putz," "(Oh do) shut up," "You really are a wanker," "Total bollocks," "Bugger," "Oh jeez," "(You) Bastard," "Kraut" (how a German player playfully refers to himself), "Screw it," "Asshole incoming at four o'clock," "Bloody" (adjective), "Nuts" (crazy), "Stop freaking out on me," "Screw up," "My ass," "Chick," "You're going down you bastard," "Oh sod it," "Give us a G*ddamn break," "Like hell it is" and "What the hell?" While mad at the chair umpire during a match (over a bad call), Lizzie grabs her tennis racket between her legs like an erect penis and makes a related hand gesture with it. A player blasts something on the court with his tennis racket in anger. Lizzie asks Ron, "How's it hanging?" He replies, "Fine. Yours?" as a bit of playful innuendo. Lizzie kisses Peter while he drives, causing him to swerve across the road. A miscellaneous woman wears a midriff-revealing top. Peter climbs up the outside of a building, hoping to sneak into Lizzie's room. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 possible "f" word, 19 "s" words, 4 slang terms for sex ("screw/ing, "laid" and "shag"), 5 bollocks, 5 buggers, 5 hells, 4 asses (3 used with "hole"), 3 damns, 2 wankers, 5 uses of "Oh God," 4 of "Oh my God," 3 of "For God's sakes" and 2 of "G-damn" and "God." SEX/NUDITY Peter goes to his parents' home where he hears rhythmic sexual sounds coming from another room (mostly a woman's pleasured sounds). He slowly goes into the room to find Carl on an exercise bike watching TV. He claims he's watching the director's cut of "Deep Throat" but Peter turns it off (we never see the screen). Peter goes into what he thinks is his hotel room, but discovers he's in Lizzie's room when he catches sight of her in the shower. We see the shape of her body through the backlit, smoked glass shower door and then a head and shoulders shot of her apparently standing nude (in the open) as she talks to him (he's embarrassed and leaves, but not before saying "Good body" rather than "Good day" to her (she thinks all of this is amusing). Dieter tells Peter that he might "get lucky" tonight with an Irish girl he met. As Peter and Lizzie have a friendly betting contest of knocking things down on a tennis court with their serves, she catches him off guard by telling him she'll sleep with him if he hits one. He misses (the ball hits someone on the head by accident) and she says that's too bad, adding, "You could have used the workout." While mad at the chair umpire during a match (over a bad call), Lizzie grabs her tennis racket between her legs like an erect penis and makes a related hand gesture with it. Peter jokingly asks Dieter about a young male player, "Shouldn't he be off discovering masturbation or something?" We see several quick shots focusing on Peter's crotch area (he's in boxers in one, a thong like bottom in another -- where he adjusts his covered genitals -- and we briefly see his bare butt in a third as he pulls up his pants while facing away from the camera). Lizzie playfully asks Peter where they come down on the whole fooling around before a match issue. He says he's into it but hasn't had enough research. She replies that's sad and he says that he's into research and she agrees. She then tells him that they should keep their fling secret and it's implied that they have sex. When her friends comment about giving up on Peter's chances of winning (due to his age), an older woman says (with some innuendo) that some men have stamina that's deceptive. Peter calls Lizzie's room and immediately says he'd like a repeat of the other night, including fish and chips and "early to bed" but then realizes he's talking to her father. Lizzie shows a tiny bit of cleavage. Peter jokes that Dieter's weaknesses are sausages, Wagner and men in leather shorts (although there's no indication he's gay). We see both Peter and Dieter wearing just towels in a steam room following their match. Lizzie asks Ron, "How's it hanging?" He replies, "Fine. Yours?" as a bit of playful innuendo. Jake approaches Peter and Lizzie and snidely asks her, "Are you screwing him? You are, aren't you?" He then starts to say, "You really are a cheap..." but Peter punches him in the face, sending him to the ground. Peter makes some sort of joking comment about youth and sex. Peter and Lizzie enter a room passionately kissing and working on each other's clothes when they realize they aren't alone (Peter then zips up his zipper). Carl, who's there with another guy and two young women tells Peter (as the group leaves), "You might want to change the sheets." We see clothes strewn across the floor as the camera slowly moves toward a bed where we then see Peter and Lizzie. He's asleep while she stares at him (the sheets somewhat cover her chest and we see her bare back). After a night of apparent sex, Peter asks Lizzie the next morning if they're going to have a workout (meaning running). She playfully jokes that she thought they just did. Later and while running, she asks why he's running behind her and he states that he's enjoying the view. Peter and Lizzie do some passionate clothed kissing while standing. Carl jokingly states that if Peter wins his next match that he (Carl) "will get laid." Peter jokingly asks Lizzie if she enjoyed her night of debauchery and she replies that she did. Dennis comments that things would be different if Peter was easy (meaning a non-serious relationship), prompting a nervous Peter to joke that he was completely easy. Lizzie shows some cleavage in a low-cut dress. Peter climbs up the outside of a building, hoping to sneak into Lizzie's room. After accidentally going into her dad's room, he makes it into hers (and kisses her on her bed) where she jokes it's a good thing he didn't get the wrong room. Peter then jokes that he did and then says, "Your dad's a very quick shag." We see Carl and his new friends (2 girls in their bras that show cleavage, along with another guy) watching the tennis match at home. Mad at Peter after losing, Lizzie angrily asks if he's shown up needing "to screw me" before his match. After Ron and Dieter appear to have fallen asleep on a bed with Peter (nothing sexual and all are dressed), Peter crawls across Ron who mumbles what sounded like "Oh Jennifer." Peter goes into his parents' house where he hears sexual sounds again. Thinking it's Carl and the porn tape from above, he barges in, finding his parents in the kitchen suddenly trying to look composed (meaning it was them having sex). A miscellaneous woman shows some cleavage. Peter and Lizzie passionately kiss while clothed and standing. SMOKING Carl smokes once, while a few miscellaneous characters also smoke. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Peter tells his mom that his dad is mad at her after seeing her "snogging" (kissing) in the car park with someone else (and she admits she was). We then see that his dad is moving into the backyard tree house and that the parents aren't getting along (played in a light comedy fashion). They eventually get back together. Lizzie states that her parents divorced when she was 13 and that her father raised her. Ron implies that he's about to have an ex-wife. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Tennis and those who play the game professionally. Casual sex. Parents who aren't getting along with each other. Betting on sporting events. Lizzie states that her parents divorced when she was 13 and that her father raised her. Dealing with self-doubts. Playing through pain. VIOLENCE A tennis ball hit by Peter accidentally hits a person on the head (they're unharmed). A player blasts something on the court with his tennis racket in anger. Peter punches Jake in the face, sending him to the ground (after he says bad things about Lizzie in front of her). Peter takes a fall and injures his back during a match. A fast serve accidentally hits a ball boy in the face (but he later returns and seems okay). Reviewed September 14, 2004/ Posted September 17, 2004