The Greatest Game Ever Played

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The Greatest Game Ever Played ★★½ 2005 (PG)

Classic kid-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks story tells how 20-year-old amateur golfer Francis Ouimet (LaBeouf) beat his boyhood idol and defending champ Harry Vardon (Dillane) to win the 1913 U.S. Open. Ouimet's working-class background precludes him from playing at the country club course where he caddies, but he learns to play on his own. Class barriers abound, and there's lots and lots of golfing. The draw of the underdog, the fact that it's a true story, and some fine performances, ultimately carries the day. 115m/C DVD . US Shia LaBeouf, Stephen (Dillon) Dillane, Elias Koteas, Marnie McPhail, Stephen Marcus, Peter Firth, Michael Weaver, Josh Flitter, Peyton List, James Paxton, Matthew Knight, Len Cariou, Luke Askew; D: Bill Paxton; W: Mark Frost; C: Shane Hurlbut; M: Brian Tyler.