The Greatest Game Ever Played

The Greatest Game Ever Played is a drama set in the world of golf, centred on Francis Ouimet, a young American from a working-class family who takes up a sport regarded as the preserve of the wealthy. Encouraged by those around him but opposed by his father, he pursues the game until he earns a place at the 1913 US Open as an amateur, where he comes up against Harry Vardon, the celebrated British champion he has long admired. The match becomes the test of whether Ouimet can compete with the best in the world.

The film was directed by Bill Paxton, his second feature after Frailty, and written by Mark Frost, who also produced alongside Larry Brezner and David Blocker. Shia LaBeouf plays Ouimet, with Stephen Dillane as Vardon, Josh Flitter as his young caddie Eddie Lowery, and Peter Firth, Elias Koteas and Peyton List among the credited cast of 64. It was released in 2005 by Walt Disney Pictures and runs 120 minutes.

On IMDb the film holds 7.4/10 from around 33,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.3/10 from several hundred. A critics' rating of 6.2/10 from 112 reviews places it below those audience scores. Made for a budget of 26 million USD, it took about 15 million USD worldwide, a modest return relative to its cost.