Wimbledon
Here's another romantic comedy that relies heavily on mind, body,
and spirit interactions. This movie actually has three layers of mind,
body, and spirit - the main characters, Peter Colt's family, and...well,
see if you can find the third.
Peter Colt introduces himself as the 119th-ranked tennis player in the world. To him, this only means there are 118 players who are younger, stronger, and faster. As a result, he doesn't dream about being better. Instead, he plans on a happy retirement and a cushy job as a pro at a tennis club.
As he prepares for his first match at Wimbledon, he goes over everything that got him there: 1000 balls/day, 365 days/year - 6 million balls and "it all comes done to this." After he serves an ace, he says, "Another 71 like it and you've got it in the bag." In a later round, when he is injured, he doesn't dig deep into his soul to find the will to win. He just says, "This is going to hurt," and serves an ace.
The hotel at Wimbledon gives Peter the wrong room, a suite. When he discovers the error, and that there is already someone else in the suite, he says, "That makes sense."
Later, looking out over London with Lizzie, he says, "One day, none of this will be ours." He doesn't dream, much less dream big.
Lizzie is completely unfazed when Peter walks into her suite and she is in the shower. She then uses a promise of sex to throw Peter off his serve when they are practicing. She remains overly flirtatious and is the one who suggests "fooling around" is a good thing before a tournament.
Lizzie is also a spirit character on the court. Peter respectfully disagrees with a bad call in his game, but Lizzie argues, name-calls, and makes obscene gestures toward the umpire. After that, she uses the energy she's built up to serve an ace.
Peter is loosing a match until he sees Lizzie in the stands. Her presence gives him the extra "spirit" he needs to win. Peter talks to Lizzie about an upcoming match against his training partner, and Lizzie tells him he has to "dig extra deep" and pulverize his partner on the court. She explains that she can't have friends in tennis because it's too hard to crush their hearts when the time comes.
When they are alone, Lizzie does things like initiating a game of air tennis and wishing on a comet. She refuses to ignore her dreams on any level.
Ron is a sports agent and does not even show up in the movie until Peter starts winning and advancing in the tournament. Peter confronts him about this, and Ron says, "Can't sell a product that doesn't exist."
Ron is usually eating when he is shown on screen. In one scene, the hotel is serving tea and finger sandwiches, and Ron complains, "They forgot to put the sandwich in my sandwich."
At the Wimbledon final between the Brit, Peter Colt, and the American, Jake and Hammond, both of whom are Ron's clients, Ron carries both the American and British flags into the stands. He changes the one he waves depending on who is winning the match. At one point, he cheers for Peter but waves the American flag before he can catch himself. He doesn't care who wins, just as long as he gets paid.
The Mind Character: Peter Colt (Paul Bettany)
Peter Colt introduces himself as the 119th-ranked tennis player in the world. To him, this only means there are 118 players who are younger, stronger, and faster. As a result, he doesn't dream about being better. Instead, he plans on a happy retirement and a cushy job as a pro at a tennis club.
As he prepares for his first match at Wimbledon, he goes over everything that got him there: 1000 balls/day, 365 days/year - 6 million balls and "it all comes done to this." After he serves an ace, he says, "Another 71 like it and you've got it in the bag." In a later round, when he is injured, he doesn't dig deep into his soul to find the will to win. He just says, "This is going to hurt," and serves an ace.
The hotel at Wimbledon gives Peter the wrong room, a suite. When he discovers the error, and that there is already someone else in the suite, he says, "That makes sense."
Later, looking out over London with Lizzie, he says, "One day, none of this will be ours." He doesn't dream, much less dream big.
The Spirit Character: Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst)
Lizzie is completely unfazed when Peter walks into her suite and she is in the shower. She then uses a promise of sex to throw Peter off his serve when they are practicing. She remains overly flirtatious and is the one who suggests "fooling around" is a good thing before a tournament.
Lizzie is also a spirit character on the court. Peter respectfully disagrees with a bad call in his game, but Lizzie argues, name-calls, and makes obscene gestures toward the umpire. After that, she uses the energy she's built up to serve an ace.
Peter is loosing a match until he sees Lizzie in the stands. Her presence gives him the extra "spirit" he needs to win. Peter talks to Lizzie about an upcoming match against his training partner, and Lizzie tells him he has to "dig extra deep" and pulverize his partner on the court. She explains that she can't have friends in tennis because it's too hard to crush their hearts when the time comes.
When they are alone, Lizzie does things like initiating a game of air tennis and wishing on a comet. She refuses to ignore her dreams on any level.
The Body Character: Ron Roth (Jon Favreau)
Ron is a sports agent and does not even show up in the movie until Peter starts winning and advancing in the tournament. Peter confronts him about this, and Ron says, "Can't sell a product that doesn't exist."
Ron is usually eating when he is shown on screen. In one scene, the hotel is serving tea and finger sandwiches, and Ron complains, "They forgot to put the sandwich in my sandwich."
At the Wimbledon final between the Brit, Peter Colt, and the American, Jake and Hammond, both of whom are Ron's clients, Ron carries both the American and British flags into the stands. He changes the one he waves depending on who is winning the match. At one point, he cheers for Peter but waves the American flag before he can catch himself. He doesn't care who wins, just as long as he gets paid.
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