The word delightful is not usually one I would use to describe a movie, but the new Mark Rylance film, The Phantom of the Open, is definitely that. And once again Rylance delivers a sold performance telling this true story.
Right off the bat you notice that the pacing of the film is very slow. But it wasn’t boring. That pacing, I thought, went perfect with Rylance’s protrayal of the character, Maurice Flitcroft, who is soft spoken and not very quick. Mark seems to be able to take simple stories like this and make them entertaining. Here he also made it inspirational. Proving the quote, the greatest pleasure in life is doing what others say you cannot do, is 100% true.
The one thing I think that will hurt this film is that same pacing. If your a fan of golf, you are, regardless of how slow it is. If you prefer something that moves along much faster, then golf may not be your thing, and neither will this movie. Personally, I think if they used a bit more of the 70’s music, it would pick up that energy level more.
Still, The Phantom of the Open, is a very good movie. A nice flashback to a fun/great, little known sports story that deserves to be told.