The Phantom of The Open – A Fantastic Biopic

The Phantom of the Open does justice to the story about a man who shocked the golfing world and his many personalities, nailing it in such a heartwarming, funny, and sometimes even devastating way. For those who are unaware of the story, the film stars Mark Rylance as Maurice Flitcroft, a man who finds a passion for golf and his late in life dreams of winning The British Open. Following Flitcroft, audiences are offered a glimpse into his family life who supported him every step of the way as they pursued their own dreams.

Over the course of the film, Flitcroft found himself in the middle of some wacky adventures from sneaking onto golf courses, to running away from various security, to even flying around a gold ball world! As he focused more on golf, his relationship with his sons Michael (Jake Davies), Gene (Christian Lees), and James (Jonah Lees) began to fade, this made for an emotional contrast between each of their character arcs that went in different directions. His journey competing in multiple British Opens was hilarious to watch as he took on multiple personalities involving multiple hats and mustaches, leading to some of the film’s best moments.

The film does a great job at capturing the life of Flitcroft, a golfer who would go down in golf history with the worst recorded score in a British Open. Rylance was perfectly cast as he does a fantastic job at capturing Flitcroft’s eccentric personality and sense of humor. He makes the film more enjoyable and downright hilarious more often than not. Rylance steals the show in every scene as the film is surely destined to become a cult classic in the near future. Meanwhile, the cinematography was also great, boasting plenty of fun shots and transitions. As opposed to several recent biopics, The Phantom of the Open doesn’t follow the normal biopic formula, resulting in a fantastic feel-good adventure. Thanks to a relatively short running time of just over 100 minutes, the film does not overstay its welcome.

Ultimately, The Phantom of the Open offers a very important message, while Flitcroft may not have done well in the various British Open events he competed in, he still tried his best and that’s what matters above all else. On the other hand, the film makes it clear that the world isn’t an oyster and can sometimes be cruel and stupid which is also something that people need to hear. The film is one that will be comforting for a large portion of audiences and just make them feel good. Its inspirational story of chasing dreams and the determination needed to achieve them will resonate by hitting them in the feels and eliciting some strong emotions at moments throughout. That determination may not have been evident on the scoreboard but Flitcroft’s reward was something that went much further than golf.

At the end of the day, The Phantom of the Open is a bonafide future classic in the making, delivering a welcome surprise thanks to its humor and heartwarming moments, accentuated by some great cinematography. The story and crazy journey of Maurice Flitcroft is one to remember as Flitcroft is a name that audiences will be unlikely to forget. Sadly, the film has not done too well at the international box office, partly due to a mixed reaction critically. Perhaps its North American release can give it a boost by getting it the notoriety amongst critics and audiences that it truly deserves.

still courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

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