christos_liaskos
Professional
Has anyone heard of any tennis films, either fact or fiction. Please dont meantion rubbish Wimbledon the Movie. What a loada rubbish!
Tennis movies
- Thread starter christos_liaskos
- Start date
Moose Malloy
G.O.A.T.
Tennis does look rather lame on film compared to other sports. Much smaller playing field.
irishbanger
Rookie
Try "Tennis, Anyone?" It's kind of like "Sideways" but tennis instead of wine. Real cult favorite. Stars Donal Logue---you'll recognize him when you see him. Two buddies play the celebrity tennis circuit--hilarity ensues. I'd be curious to see what others think about this movie.
Also---"Players" with John McEnroe from the 80's---kind of crap.
Also---"Players" with John McEnroe from the 80's---kind of crap.
BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
"Players" from 1979 starring Dino Martin and Ali McGraw with cameos by McEnroe, Vilas, Connors, etc.
Panned by the critics and bombed at the box office but I liked it. (Hey, I'm a tennis nut and will like any movie about tennis, and yes, even "Wimbledon".) The most unbelievable thing in the movie was Vilas getting to the Wimbledon final. Come on now.
Hard to find anywhere, though, even video stores.
Panned by the critics and bombed at the box office but I liked it. (Hey, I'm a tennis nut and will like any movie about tennis, and yes, even "Wimbledon".) The most unbelievable thing in the movie was Vilas getting to the Wimbledon final. Come on now.
Hard to find anywhere, though, even video stores.
oberyn
Professional
christos_liaskos said:
The trick is that you have to really keep an eye out for tennis films. These were a few of my favorites, with the featured player in parentheses:
Top Gun -- (Roger Federer)
A Man for All Seasons -- (Andre Agassi)
Forget Paris -- (Pete Sampras)
Lawnmower Man -- (Pete Sampras)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- (Marat Safin [a remake of the original with Goran Ivanisevic])
The Left-Handed Gun -- (Jimmy Connors)
Clay Pigeons -- (Rafael Nadal)
Twins -- (The Bryan Brothers)
Harvard Man -- (James Blake)
The Quiet Man -- (John McEnroe)
My Giant -- (Ivo Karlovic)
Seriously, good tennis movies really are few and far between.
Moose Malloy
G.O.A.T.
oberyn, nice post
have a look at the tennis trivia thread. its losing steam.
have a look at the tennis trivia thread. its losing steam.
drakulie
Talk Tennis Guru
oberyn said:The trick is that you have to really keep an eye out for tennis films. These were a few of my favorites, with the featured player in parentheses:
Top Gun -- (Roger Federer)
A Man for All Seasons -- (Andre Agassi)
Forget Paris -- (Pete Sampras)
Lawnmower Man -- (Pete Sampras)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- (Marat Safin [a remake of the original with Goran Ivanisevic])
The Left-Handed Gun -- (Jimmy Connors)
Clay Pigeons -- (Rafael Nadal)
Twins -- (The Bryan Brothers)
Harvard Man -- (James Blake)
The Quiet Man -- (John McEnroe)
My Giant -- (Ivo Karlovic)
Seriously, good tennis movies really are few and far between.
That is just way too good!
drakulie
Talk Tennis Guru
Son of Dick Van Patten, Vince van Patten made a movie called "The Break". Probably the best tennis movie I have seen. By the way, Vince van Patten was a pro on the tour.
Here is the link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112574/
Here is the link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112574/
federerforever
Rookie
oberyn said:The trick is that you have to really keep an eye out for tennis films. These were a few of my favorites, with the featured player in parentheses:
Top Gun -- (Roger Federer)
A Man for All Seasons -- (Andre Agassi)
Forget Paris -- (Pete Sampras)
Lawnmower Man -- (Pete Sampras)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- (Marat Safin [a remake of the original with Goran Ivanisevic])
The Left-Handed Gun -- (Jimmy Connors)
Clay Pigeons -- (Rafael Nadal)
Twins -- (The Bryan Brothers)
Harvard Man -- (James Blake)
The Quiet Man -- (John McEnroe)
My Giant -- (Ivo Karlovic)
Seriously, good tennis movies really are few and far between.
Thanks oberyn. You are an example of someone with a good sense of humour.
drakulie said:
I was in that movie as an extra. It wasnt a great movie but was fun as hell to get paid to play tennis and eat. They had a 5star chef who would cook to order and basically had a 7-11 for snacks. Everything you could want from chips to candy. One great experience.
Seems like there was a college tennis movie out 10 yrs ago that was really good. The #1 guy had like a chick wearing little clothes who flirted with the the other teams guy to distract him. Each player had their own little thing they did. I cant remember the name of the movie though.
I liked wimbledon but this one was better.
I liked wimbledon but this one was better.
It shows my age, but there are two classic films about tennis players.
1. Strangers On A Train - Hitchcock thriller about a national ranked tennis player caught up in murder
2. Pat and Mike - Kate Hepburn as a tennis/golf pro and Spencer Tracy as her coach. Don Budge, Alice Marple and Gussie Moran play themselves
There was also a poor man's Porky's tennis movie caled "Jocks" in 1987 I believe.
1. Strangers On A Train - Hitchcock thriller about a national ranked tennis player caught up in murder
2. Pat and Mike - Kate Hepburn as a tennis/golf pro and Spencer Tracy as her coach. Don Budge, Alice Marple and Gussie Moran play themselves
There was also a poor man's Porky's tennis movie caled "Jocks" in 1987 I believe.
drakulie said:
I was one of the guys playing in the background. I was at the tournament desk and stuff too waiting for times and other junk like walking behind the main stars while they talked. They have to pay you a min of $500 (screen actors guild) if you say anything so i didnt talk at all. I think i was in the movie like 8 times total through out the movie (tend to look more when its you) but only like 2 times was it clear. Most of the time i was just filling court space playing like i would have been usually.
Jimmy and Jai were friends of mine who i was hitting with. Both were very good players but Jai was amazing, he just came off winning the Naia singles and doubles national championships. They got me in and they were shooting it at the clubs i play so it all worked out. They offered to let me do terminator3 (the crews next project) but that was way down in miami. Plus it wouldnt have been very much fun compared to a tennis movie.
Vince never played, he just showed up todo his scene's. I doubt my name is in the credits but i still have a copy of it, ill have to take a look. I never saw martin sheen either, he shot all of his scene's over in tampa. I just did the orlando strech.
Has anyone heard of The French (1982)? I've been trying to find a copy myself.
Plot Outline: For the very first time, a documentary team is allowed to shoot sequences in the backstage of the French Open of tennis at Roland-Garros.
Credited cast:
Arthur Ashe .... Himself
Marcel Bernard .... Himself
Björn Borg .... Himself
Don Budge .... Himself
Philippe Chatrier .... Himself
Henri Cochet .... Himself
Jimmy Connors .... Himself
Chris Evert .... Herself
Ivan Lendl .... Himself
Jean-Pierre Loth .... Himself
Hana Mandlikova .... Herself
John McEnroe .... Himself
Ilie Nastase .... Himself
Martina Navratilova .... Herself
Yannick Noah .... Himself
Victor Pecci .... Himself
Fred Perry .... Himself
Ion Tiriac .... Himself
Thierry Tulasne .... Himself
Guillermo Vilas .... Himself
Plot Outline: For the very first time, a documentary team is allowed to shoot sequences in the backstage of the French Open of tennis at Roland-Garros.
Credited cast:
Arthur Ashe .... Himself
Marcel Bernard .... Himself
Björn Borg .... Himself
Don Budge .... Himself
Philippe Chatrier .... Himself
Henri Cochet .... Himself
Jimmy Connors .... Himself
Chris Evert .... Herself
Ivan Lendl .... Himself
Jean-Pierre Loth .... Himself
Hana Mandlikova .... Herself
John McEnroe .... Himself
Ilie Nastase .... Himself
Martina Navratilova .... Herself
Yannick Noah .... Himself
Victor Pecci .... Himself
Fred Perry .... Himself
Ion Tiriac .... Himself
Thierry Tulasne .... Himself
Guillermo Vilas .... Himself
The funniest part was when it came time for the shower scene (which was deleted when disney (i think) picked it up). They told us what was going to happen so we all hid Its not so bad to show you butt on the camera but you gotta turn around and there are like 20 ppl there and half are good looking women.
It was a great time. Rae dawn chong was really pretty too.
Id recommend jocks, it was very entertaining.
Its not so bad to show you butt on the camera but you gotta turn around and there are like 20 ppl there and half are good looking women. It was a great time. Rae dawn chong was really pretty too.
Id recommend jocks, it was very entertaining.
maverick66
Hall of Fame
irishbanger said:
it was a little strange for me. it was funny when they hit that buddy guy in the nuts. it wasnt as funny as everyone told me it was gonna be but still worth watching.
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
gmonfils said:
Are you joking? How is Mats Wilander not in it?
Crichton is right, Hitch's movie is one of the best tennis movies, i think they show material from the Forest Hills US Championships. In another Hitch classic 'Murder on the phone', the evil husband, who wants to kill Grace Kelly, is a tennis champion. In 'Players'Pancho Gonzales plays a co-leading role.
oberyn said:The trick is that you have to really keep an eye out for tennis films. These were a few of my favorites, with the featured player in parentheses:
Top Gun -- (Roger Federer)
A Man for All Seasons -- (Andre Agassi)
Forget Paris -- (Pete Sampras)
Lawnmower Man -- (Pete Sampras)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- (Marat Safin [a remake of the original with Goran Ivanisevic])
The Left-Handed Gun -- (Jimmy Connors)
Clay Pigeons -- (Rafael Nadal)
Twins -- (The Bryan Brothers)
Harvard Man -- (James Blake)
The Quiet Man -- (John McEnroe)
My Giant -- (Ivo Karlovic)
Seriously, good tennis movies really are few and far between.
Nice
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
gmonfils said:
Cool. Now, let's work on getting a video or a dvd.
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
boxingguy said:Okay, I'll bite. Who else is in the cast?
Corey Feldman as Jimmy Connors?
Good call. Except we would have to teach Feldman how to hold the racquet like that much of a wuss. Seriously, did some lame director or acting coach actually tell Jimmy to hold it like that? And he is lefty.
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
'Just have a look at him, mate... look at the similarities!'
Well, yeah, red hair. If they do not use him for a Laver biopic, they can always use him for Mick Hucknall [of Simply Red]...or maybe Carrot Top in the next Prop Comic special on VH1.
But seriously:
Rog Federer as a young Jimmy Connors.
Heath Ledger for a Lleyton Hewitt role.
Anthony Michael Hall for a Boris Becker role.
Benicio del Toro for the 2006 Champions Tour Sergi Bruguera.
Stamos as Phillipoussis.
And of course.....[drumroll]
a vintage 1998 Goran Ivanisevic playing the role of Jesus.
Well, yeah, red hair. If they do not use him for a Laver biopic, they can always use him for Mick Hucknall [of Simply Red]...or maybe Carrot Top in the next Prop Comic special on VH1.
But seriously:
Rog Federer as a young Jimmy Connors.
Heath Ledger for a Lleyton Hewitt role.
Anthony Michael Hall for a Boris Becker role.
Benicio del Toro for the 2006 Champions Tour Sergi Bruguera.
Stamos as Phillipoussis.
And of course.....[drumroll]
a vintage 1998 Goran Ivanisevic playing the role of Jesus.
mavsman149
Hall of Fame
Match Point was a good movie but the tennis was embarrasing to the point where I considered those parts comedy. If that guy was to compete with the top pros than I would be 10x more dominant than Federer and I'm like a 4.5 thats how bad the tennis is. Plus it has scarlett johansson in it, scarlett is the hottest woman ever, any movie with her in it is good or at least worth watching
The actors were originally supposed to play for real but the producers found it was too difficult to get them to appear as if they were pros because they sucked too bad. They ended up using a computer-generated ball to make them look better. I haven't seen the movie but I imagine thats why the tennis scenes were crap.
Indy Tennis
Semi-Pro
This thread inspired me to order a bunch of these movies from amazon. Got "Tennis, Anyone?" today.
It's a damn good movie.
You'll recognize the main actors and they're pretty decent players.
I told my wife it was instantly one of my favorite movies. She looked at me like I was nuts, but tennis players will love it.
It's a damn good movie.
You'll recognize the main actors and they're pretty decent players.
I told my wife it was instantly one of my favorite movies. She looked at me like I was nuts, but tennis players will love it.
SoBad
G.O.A.T.
One of the best movies ever. Makes you think about "right" and "wrong" and all sorts of profound moral issues, and shot with spectacular background, even though the tennis respect is less than spectacular.
kingdaddy41788
Hall of Fame
Anyone else catch that Murphy Jensen was in Wimbledon? He's the guy that Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) plays second round...
T
tennisevolution
Guest
Just when you thought it couldn’t—or shouldn’t—be done
http://www.myspace.com/tennisevolution
Just when you thought it couldn’t—or shouldn’t—be done, another tennis movie, From Russia with Racquet, is in the works. Perhaps a more appropriate title would be From Russia with No Money, but this project, directed by Erk C. Oberhammer , seeks to bring an unconventional approach to the sport and may, indeed, be a hit with audiences. World tennis audiences, that is. Starring Sergey Burlakov(Russian Player),Erik Oberhammer(Coach),Alex(Manager) and Paul(Translator), sets out to be a real life version of the American Dream—if that’s possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG2JJU1kM8Y
The story, filmed in Myrtle Beach,South Carolina, follows the journey of Sergey (played by Sergey), a 20 year old financially struggling tennis player from Lipetsk,Russia who arrived in the united states with $30 and has the American Dream of cracking the top 100 . When the tennis coach (played by Erik Oberhammer) is thrust into the position of taking a poor and struggling player and turning him into a champion. Frivolity ensues. With previous tennis movies drawing criticism and poor box-office sales, it begs the question: Why make another? “I’ve never seen a really good [tennis movie] that I can remember,” Oberhammer says, “so it seemed like an opportunity to do the sport justice in a great Rocky way.”
As far as the tennis is concerned, it appears believable. But what about the story line? The production is operating without a studio’s support—to avoid financial burdens as well as creative differences—and is yet to be picked up for distribution.
http://www.myspace.com/tennisevolution
Just when you thought it couldn’t—or shouldn’t—be done, another tennis movie, From Russia with Racquet, is in the works. Perhaps a more appropriate title would be From Russia with No Money, but this project, directed by Erk C. Oberhammer , seeks to bring an unconventional approach to the sport and may, indeed, be a hit with audiences. World tennis audiences, that is. Starring Sergey Burlakov(Russian Player),Erik Oberhammer(Coach),Alex(Manager) and Paul(Translator), sets out to be a real life version of the American Dream—if that’s possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG2JJU1kM8Y
The story, filmed in Myrtle Beach,South Carolina, follows the journey of Sergey (played by Sergey), a 20 year old financially struggling tennis player from Lipetsk,Russia who arrived in the united states with $30 and has the American Dream of cracking the top 100 . When the tennis coach (played by Erik Oberhammer) is thrust into the position of taking a poor and struggling player and turning him into a champion. Frivolity ensues. With previous tennis movies drawing criticism and poor box-office sales, it begs the question: Why make another? “I’ve never seen a really good [tennis movie] that I can remember,” Oberhammer says, “so it seemed like an opportunity to do the sport justice in a great Rocky way.”
As far as the tennis is concerned, it appears believable. But what about the story line? The production is operating without a studio’s support—to avoid financial burdens as well as creative differences—and is yet to be picked up for distribution.
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
Scarlett Johansson sure was spectacular, http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/563...4AD9FDB9CF1939847EC77F5F8D1CE762FD823CADD218B
link doesn't work.
SoBad
G.O.A.T.
I thought she played well, but perhaps "overplayed" her part a little bit? I thought Jonathan Rhys Myers played his part exceptionally well though.
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
Vilas did make it to the QF round at W two or three times. He also won the AO twice in the late 70s when it was still played on grass. So not that far-fetched. He also won RG and US Open in ‘77
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