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The Phantom of the Open review – in praise of the world’s worst sportsman
Mark Rylance plays a would-be golfer who gatecrashes the Open in this upbeat comedy-drama based on a true story
Shipyard crane operator Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) is contemplating a career change. When he chances upon a game of golf while watching TV one evening, he’s launched into a new world. Literally. Director Craig Roberts plonks Flitcroft into a surreal dream sequence in which the character ascends an Astroturf staircase in his dressing gown and slippers. He’s flung around the world like a golf ball, dizzy with the sense of possibility.
This whimsical comedy-drama tells the true story of Flitcroft, a daffy father of three, who blagged a spot in the 1976 Open championship, setting a new record for the tournament’s highest ever score. Roberts finds humour in golf’s topsy-turvy rules: the higher the score, the worse the game. The amateur player is a clear threat to anyone within hitting distance, but he also represents a challenge to the elitism of the sport. Undeterred by failure (and a lifetime ban), he re-enters under a fresh alias, donning a French accent and a moustache.
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