The Greatest Game Ever Played is a 2005 American biographical sports film based on the early life of amateur golf champion Francis Ouimet and his surprise winning of the 1913 U.S. Open. The film was directed by Bill Paxton, and was his last film as a director. Shia LaBeouf plays the role of Ouimet. The film's screenplay was adapted by Mark Frost from his 2002 book, The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf. It was shot in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with the Kanawaki Golf Club, in Kahnawake, Quebec, the site of the golf sequences.
Plot[]
Set mainly in 1913, the film is about Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf), the first amateur to win the U.S. Open. Amateur golf in that era was a sport only for the wealthy, and Ouimet came from an Irish and French-Canadian immigrant family that was part of the working class. Ouimet watches an exhibition by legendary Jersey golf pro Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) as a 7-year-old boy, and becomes very interested in golf. He begins as a caddie at The Country Club, a posh enclave located across the street from his home in suburban Brookline, Massachusetts, while making friends with the other caddies. He works on his own golf game at every chance, and gradually accumulates his own set of clubs. Francis practices putting at night in his room. He wins the Massachusetts Schoolboy Championship.
One day, a Club member, Mr. Hastings (Justin Ashforth), asks Ouimet to play with him over The Country Club course, where caddies have almost no access of their own, and he shoots a fine round of 81 despite a 9 on one hole. His talent, composure, and good manners earn admirers and interest. With the help of Mr. Hastings and the Club Caddiemaster, Francis gets a chance to play in an upcoming tournament, the U.S. Amateur, the local qualifying for which is to be held at the very same Country Club course. However, his father Arthur (Elias Koteas) tells his son to quit golf and get a "real job". Ouimet needs $50 for the entry fee, and so agrees to get a real job and never play golf again if he could not qualify; his father lends him the money. On the 18th, Francis faces a three-foot putt that would secure him a spot in the championship, but he looks over and his father is watching. Ouimet is distracted, misses and falls one stroke short of qualifying for the championship proper.
With much jeer from the rich folk, Ouimet, now 20, fulfills his promise to his dad and works at a sporting goods shop, while continuing to live at home. After some time with his golf forgotten, Ouimet is still at the bottom of the working class. But one day, the president of the United States Golf Association enters the store and personally invites him to play in the upcoming U.S. Open. After some maneuvering and consideration from his employer, Ouimet secures entry. His father informs Ouimet that he must find his own place to live after the tournament and Ouimet agrees to this arrangement. However, his mother has been supportive of his golf from the start. She admonishes Ouimet's father for not recognizing Ouimet's talent and that he now has a chance to demonstrate it in an important tournament.
Ouimet competes in the 1913 U.S. Open that takes place at The Country Club. The favorites are British champions Vardon and Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus), who are accompanied by the snobbish Lord Northcliffe (Peter Firth), and the reigning U.S. Open champion, John McDermott. Northcliffe looks to see that either Vardon or Ray wins the Open, to affirm British dominance over the Americans in golf, and also to prove that only gentlemen were able champions. Ouimet competes with his 10-year old friend, Eddie Lowery (Josh Flitter), who skips school to caddie for Ouimet. After the first two rounds, Vardon and Ray have a seemingly comfortable lead, with McDermott unable to keep up. After some initial struggles, Ouimet rallies back and ends up tying with Vardon and Ray at the end of the fourth round, meaning that the three of them would compete in an 18-hole playoff to determine the champion. The night before, Northcliffe mocks Ouimet's social status to Vardon, who came from humble beginnings himself, and Vardon finally tells Northcliffe that he is going to try to win only for his own pride, not Britain's and that if Ouimet wins, it will be because of his own skill, not his background. Vardon also reminds Northcliffe to respect Ouimet like a gentleman is meant to.
The playoff round commences, with all three competitors keeping it close until the back nine, where Ray fades out, and Ouimet ahead of Vardon by a stroke going into the final hole. Vardon finishes with a par, giving Ouimet the chance to clinch the win with a par himself. Seeing him become nervous before the final putt, Eddie calms him down, and Ouimet is able to make the putt and win the U.S. Open. As the crowd carries him and Eddie on their shoulders, they start to hand him money. Ouimet refuses it all, only accepting one particular bill, from his now-proud father. In the clubhouse, Vardon privately congratulates Ouimet and suggests that they should play a friendly round together in the future. Ouimet and Eddie then walk home, carrying the U.S. Open trophy.
A series of texts shows that Harry Vardon went on to win his sixth British Open Championship the following year, also Francis won two amateur championships and became a businessman and Eddie went on to become a multi-millionaire.
Cast[]
- Shia LaBeouf as Francis Ouimet
- Matthew Knight as Young Francis
- Stephen Dillane as Harry Vardon
- James Paxton as Young Harry
- Peter Firth as Lord Northcliffe
- Elias Koteas as Arthur Ouimet
- Stephen Marcus as Ted Ray
- Josh Flitter as Eddie Lowery
- Len Cariou as Stedman Comstock
- Peyton List as Sarah Wallis
- Amanda Tilson as Young Sarah
- Luke Askew as Alec Campbell
- Michael Weaver as John McDermott
- Marnie McPhail as Mary Ouimet
- George Asprey as Wilfred Reid
- Justin Ashforth as Ted Hastings
- Robin Wilcock as Bernard Darwin
- Max Kasch as Freddie Wallis
- Jonathan Higgins as Embry Wallis
- Luke Kirby as Frank Hoyt
- Nicolas Wright as Phillip Wainwright
- Michael Sinelnikoff as Lord Bullock
- Tim Peper as Walter Gibbs
- Walter Massey as William Howard Taft
- Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang as Baritone
- Jesse Rath as Runner