The Greatest Game Ever Played. An amateur player from a working class family, Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) shocked the golf world when at the 1913 U.S. Open, flanked by his 10-year-old caddie, he defeated his idol, the defending British champion Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane). An unlikely match-up – the ingénue versus the seasoned champ – theirs was the greatest match the sport had ever known.
Caught between a world of hardship and a beckoning life of privilege, Francis needed to prove his unfailing will and ability to make it to the tournament. Elias Koteas plays Francis’ tough, hardworking father. Newcomer Peyton List is Sarah Wallis, the beautiful young woman, who catches Francis’ heart. Joshua Flitter is Eddie Lowery, the pint sized caddie who helps Francis find his way through the troublesome fairways to victory.
From the studio that brought you “The Rookie” and “Miracle” and director Bill Paxton, comes a story of courage, passion and of the greatest American sports hero you have probably never heard of… An amateur player from a working class family, Francis Ouimet – played by Shia LaBeouf (“Holes”) – shocked the golf world when at the 1913 U.S. Open, flanked by his 10-year-old caddie, he defeated his idol, the defending British champion Harry Vardon – played by Stephen Dillane.
In the tradition of “Remember The Titans,” “The Rookie” and “Miracle,” from Walt Disney Pictures comes a real-life story of a long-shot dream that came true. The Greatest Game Ever Played, based on Mark Frost’s best-selling book, is the remarkable yet untold story of Francis Ouimet. Francis was a working-class immigrant kid who — flanked by a 10 year-old caddie smaller than his golf bag — started with nothing and came out of nowhere to break down the barriers and become America’s first golf hero nearly a century before Tiger Woods. In a world where it was believed only the wealthy and privileged could play, and win, at golf, it took an outsider to change the rules forever and prove that anyone with enough courage, grit and faith could achieve greatness.
It all came to a head at the 1913 U.S. Open. Suddenly, Francis found himself in an ultimate showdown of skill and spirit — he, the unknown upstart American, facing off against Harry Vardon, a U.S. Open winner and six time British Open champion (a record that still stands today) who was the sport’s undisputed champion. One was a towering idol, the other an impossible underdog — and their legendary battle would transcend sport to become an illustration of human determination at its best.
The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
Directed by: Bill Paxton
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Stephen Dillane, Peter Firth, Elias Koteas, Peyton List, Jonathan Higgins, Amanda Tilson, Jamie Merling, Marnie McPhail, Robin Wilcock, Armand Laroche
Screenplay by: Mark Frost
Production Design by: François Séguin
Cinematography by: Shane Hurlbut
Film Editing by: Elliot Graham
Costume Design by: Renée April
Set Decoration by: Suzanne Cloutier, Anne Gallea, Dominique Gosselin
Art Direction by: Martin Gendron, Pierre Perrault
Music by: Brian Tyler
MPAA Rating: PG for some brief mild language.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: September 30, 2005
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