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Parents' Guide to

The Greatest Game Ever Played

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Predictable but inspiring family sports movie.

Movie PG 2005 120 minutes
The Greatest Game Ever Played Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

age 8+

Great sports movie! If you like Hoosiers, The Race and other underdog films, this is for your family!

And love that it is based on true story!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Inspiring in the most predictable sports-movie ways, The Greatest Game Ever Played also shows golf's class problems. While the players battle it out, the game is reimagined by director Bill Paxton and cinematographer Shane Hurlbut as a series of grand, sweeping shots, sometimes taking the ball's point of view and at others, the subjective states of the players (enhanced by CGI).

Because he plays so stunningly well, Francis becomes something of a celebrity, annoying and eventually gratifying his stubborn father (his mother, Mary [Marnie McPhail], is supportive throughout, but quieted by her husband's outrage). But for all its interest in the class and gender issues of the day, the movie is most insistently focused on Francis' perseverance and passion. His trajectory is standard (see any recent sports movie, from Miracle to Remember the Titans), but it is also exciting and heartening, especially for younger viewers.

Movie Details

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