The Phantom of the Open reviewed by Mark Kermode

Mark Kermode reviews The Phantom of the Open. Biopic of Maurice Flitcroft, who managed to gain entry to the qualifying round of the British Open Golf Championship in 1976 and shot the worst round in Open history.
Please tell us what you think of the film -- or Mark’s review of the film. We love to include your views on the show every Friday.
If you like this video, why not subscribe to our podcast for more reviews, interviews and general wittering of the highest order:
BBC Sounds: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b0...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2shG8hk...
Twitter: @Wittertainment
www.bbc.co.uk/5live
Fridays at 2:30pm on BBC 5 live.

[@Davo-007]

Saw this tonight. Warms the heart with some great laughs using typical northern English humour. Mark Rylance has ever tugs at your heart strings. A great film to catch and cheer you up during these difficult times 🙂

[@Hedge_witch]

I've been reading this film on the side of buses as "Phantom of the Opera" all week. I'm a lot less confused by the poster now.

[@michaeldwatkins_]

Was lucky to be able to see this as part of the LFF programme at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, the cinema that director Craig Roberts has a great relationship with - shout out to the people there. Loved the Powell and Pressburger feel to the dream sequence, plus Sally Hawkins is great in everything. Heartwarming, engaging, thoroughly entertaining. It's not reinventing the form, but a hell of a lot of fun all the way through.

[@BigBadBank]

Man, the whole internet is full of people who think they could do things but couldn't, he was ahead of his time.

[@jimmyh6601]

Like Trump's attempt at being President

[@cjs7553]

@@jimmyh6601 Or Hillary's ATTEMPT at being President. Or Biden's attempt at finding the front door to the White House.

[@cbw5671]

I saw this last night and loved it. Warm, funny, just the right amount of whimsy and emotionally truthful. Captures a certain type of Cumbrian man. And a superb performance by Mark Rylance as the central character.

[@robertholly5504]

Not many people know this but the screenplay was written by Ed Sheeran and he claimed he thought the title up all by himself and had never knowingly heard of a similar named film Phantom of the opera. I personally believe him 👍

[@tigermunky]

Totally irrelevant comment - but it made me smirk all the same. 😆

[@christinerenney4657]

You have made me laugh

[@ianharrodlondon]

It has nothing to do with Ed Sheeran. Its a great , feel good comedy. Highly recommended.

[@christinerenney4657]

@@ianharrodlondon I think he was joking.

[@davedennison7386]

One of his sons drove a soft top Escort and danced at the local discos in the 80's...big hair, big moves...b-i-f....

[@davidfelter417]

This movie was absurdly wholesome and uplifting

[@simonfuller7331]

I completely agree with Mark Kermode's review. Utterly charming and relevant. Nothing really to do with golf but becoming a person. I watched this film 4 weeks ago on a Singpore Airlines flight from Melbourne to Frankfurt. Highly recommended! Watched The Duke on the same flight. Wonderful stuff. Miss at your own peril!

[@roweproductions9424]

The trailer made me chuckle, can’t wait to watch it 🙂

[@natts]

Saw this film yesterday. For me, it never seemed like Maurice thought he was good at golf. He never claimed that, and was well aware that he wasn't. The point to what he was doing was that the (British) 'Ope Championship' should be open to all, or else it simply isn't open.

[@Adrian-qk2fn]

I think part of the reason he kept on trying was they got his back up and his stubborn streak kicked in.

[@KeithFraser82]

Poster quote: "I ENJOYED IT" - MARK KERMODE

[@TommasoFirmini]

Ioved this movie so much more than I thought I would. So funny and wholesome. He managed to bring a smile to my face with pretty much every scene. Just such a great movie

[@Cornwall1888]

Never heard of this guy but just read up on his round, he scored 121, I’ve played thousands of rounds of golf with hundreds of people and don’t think I’ve witnessed a score that high 😂😂

[@imallfordabulls]

It’s a bad score…but then you haven’t played with beginner golfers.

[@nickpellatt]

A championship course, off the back tees, with an audience. I reckon a lot of people would take 121.

[@KeithFraser82]

Assuming that's for 18 holes, that's less than 7 per hole, or an average of 3 over par per hole. That doesn't sound all that shocking for a rank amateur on a course used for a professional tournament.

[@Wallij15]

To specify it was 49 over Par. Most people would struggle to break a score of 90.

[@cjs7553]

It's not that hard to fathom. This was a MAJOR golf course. It' wasn't a weekend warrior golf course you see today that might cost $30 for a round of 18.

[@markreynolds224]

One of the best comedies for a while, on a par with caddyshack.

[@AmadoWildlifeVideos]

This story reminds me of a sidebar documentary piece on Grandstand in the 1970s, (narrated by David Coleman? Frank Bough?) concerning a man who bluffed his way into Wembley Stadium every year for the F.A. Cup Final. It showed photos of the same tall man in a raincoat celebrating with the winning teams from the 1950s through the 1960s -- was he at the World Cup Final in 1966? Does anyone else remember this?

[@OrangeBananaPear]

First heard of this story on Steve Bunce’s extraordinary story’s. Read the book, can’t wait for this film.

[@pamelaatkinsonscats2873]

I went in expecting to find this film and its central character a bit naff but, like Mark, I found myself tearing up several times. There were those unbelievable pantomime villains in the film, but I still went with the story anyway.

[@deanothemanc5281]

It's a great story, we're a nation of eccentrics, which we should embrace and be proud of. 👏

[@kc8923]

Really good film, very funny and well observed. Saw The Duke too, 2 very good British films in a few weeks.

[@tvgcmma9215]

Really Enjoyed this

[@harvey785]

As an avid golfer the biggest issue I have with this film is that they refer to The Open Championship as "The British Open Golf Championship" - this has obviously been done for the American audiance... 😐. This may sound petty and insignificant, but in the history of the sport it is neither.

[@kildogery]

Quite right. Imagine referring to Wimbledon as a the British Open.

[@dylanjordan4747]

As an avid dosser with no familiarity with golf or really any sport in general, “open” refers to anyone being able to compete, right? So what exactly is the problem with them labelling the tournament as a British open?

[@harvey785]

@@dylanjordan4747 It's just the fact of being accurate with the name... We don't call Wimbledon 'The British Wimbledon'... We don't Batman 'The American Batman'... We don't call The Beatles 'The British Beatles'... Yes is no great shakes but seeing as it's a film about a historical golf event, as a golfer, I find it a little frustrating & off putting.

[@dylanjordan4747]

@@harvey785 Batman and the Beatles aren’t sport tournaments though? They do call them US opens in the US

[@harvey785]

@@dylanjordan4747 My use of film titles is to show things in a different context. Regarding the US Open (s) for both tennis and golf - That is their recognised name. The Masters (Golf) is not known as the US Masters, the Super Bowl is not the US Super Bowl. American golfers often refer to the US Open as "the Open" because it is their Open and (incorrectly) refer to The Open Championships as 'The British Open' to diferentiate. Unfortunatily this has been adopted the media.

[@OkLetsPlayFilms]

Really beautiful, funny film . Really enjoyed it 👌🏾

[@watugondu]

I knew Jean & James flitcroft who were great guys and were disco champions

[@lennyboysmith]

Hi, out of interest do you know which secondary school they went to? I’m trying to work out if my dad might have taught them?

[@tigermunky]

Simon can't believe that this character doesn't believe that they are rubbish. Oh, if only this was far from reality. I have met many people who believe the hype they have created in their own head. I have a colleague (whom we've given notice to) who has been fired from his past 3 jobs, but is still certain that he's fantastic at his job and that everyone else is simply jealous. He makes up excuse after excuse to keep his fiction going. So in the case of golf, I'm sure someone could lose, but continue to believe that they were great, but just experienced bad luck.

[@natts]

The character in this film never claimed to be great at golf.

[@martywize5909]

Brilliant, brilliant film!! 👍

[@paulouzman7267]

Every Saturday night hopeless fools appear on TV talent shows thinking they have an ability that the world can see they haven't so not so far fetched...

[@JohnBrown-be6re]

flippin' 'eck....

[@stingfan4]

sounds like Happy Gilmore but not as good.

[@ianharrodlondon]

It's far better...

[@Davo-007]

@@ianharrodlondon Correct and and its true. A real fairytale that warms the heart and makes you laugh. Rylance is brilliant.

[@cjs7553]

No and no. Happy Gilmore is a mindless, slapstick comedy, whose main character is actually not very nice.

[@erikchristensen822]

I thought this movie was dumb

[@sturdyblock]

Ed Sheeran... yaaawn. Avoid.

[@ianharrodlondon]

It has nothing to do with Ed Sheeran. Its a great , feel good comedy. Highly recommended.

[@davidsteel8324]

Rylance is a terrible actor. No way in hell I’ll ever see this.

[@Solarstar10]

lol

[@65g4]

Actually he is a great actor and is an Oscar winner.

[@markhigh6271]

Are you actually joking? Rylance is probably the most celebrated actor of our time

[@davidsteel8324]

@@65g4 Lucky. Right place at the right time.

[@davidsteel8324]

@@markhigh6271 I saw him on stage in “Othello” where he played Iago. It was embarrassing. Mumbling and skipping around. Awful. Like Paul Whitehouse playing Adolf Hitler. He’s absolutely rotten.