Phantom of the Open Trailer Shows a Charming Look at the World’s Worst Golfer

There have been an endless amount of inspiring sports movies based on true stories over the years, and another to keep an eye on is The Phantom of the Open. The new golf-centric tale is directed by Craig Roberts and written by Simon Farnaby, based on Farnaby’s book of the same name that he co-wrote with Scott Murray, about the true story of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a crane operator and “unrelenting optimist” who decides to have a crack at the British Open Gold Championship qualifiers in 1976…without ever having played a round of golf in his life.

The trailer begins by humorously reminding audiences that this story “actually happened”, before showing a brief history of Flitcroft’s life leading up to the events of him taking up professional golf. We see him marry the love of his life, Jean (Sally Hawkins ), and a glimpse of the couple raising their two sons together. We then see Flitcroft talk to his friends about the age-old question, “if you could do anything, what would you do?” They do not know, but this is where we see Flitcroft discover his love for golf. He tells his friends that he is going to pursue a spot in The British Open, and they look at him like he is crazy.

COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY

This is where the comedy of the film really starts to show, as we see Flitcroft prepare for his dream event. He shoots the worst round in the history of the Open, but refuses to give up, even after admitting he’d never played before. Through Roberts’ colorfully blissful direction and Rylance’s carefree spirit, we get the sense that, while the media attention may be putting pressure on Flitcroft and his family, he refuses to give up — not to spite those who doubt him, but simply because he believes in himself.

phantom-of-the-open-mark-rylance — Image via Sony Pictures Classics

From the trailer alone, this appears to be a whimsically funny, gleefully optimistic, and heartfelt sports movie that combines the absurdity of Happy Gilmore with the emotional weight of The Way Back or McFarland, USA. This seems like the perfect average Joe, rags to riches story that has enough style and substance to keep the avid sports movie watcher engaged. Rylance has proven himself countless times, with great performances in Bridge of Spies, Dunkirk, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. He also has an underrated sense of comedic timing shown in films like Ready Player One and Don’t Look Up, so he is sure to bring a well-balanced performance that will inspire as much as he makes us laugh. Pair that with Hawkins, who also has a great resume of films like The Shape of Water, and this film’s cast has its fair share of heavy hitters.

There is arguably nothing better than a well-made sports movie. The Phantom of the Open looks to be the next story that sports fans should have ready in their trolley bag when the film hits the green and theaters on June 3. Check out the full trailer below: