The Phantom of the Open

2021
PG-13
1h 46m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

8.2K

YOUR RATING

Rhys Ifans, Mark Rylance, and Sally Hawkins in The Phantom of the Open (2021)

The story of golfer Maurice Flitcroft whose performance at the 1976 British Open Golf Championship made him a legend.

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Biography Comedy Drama Sport

Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, manages to gain entry to the 1976 British Open Golf Championship qualification round despite being a complete novice.Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, manages to gain entry to the 1976 British Open Golf Championship qualification round despite being a complete novice.Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, manages to gain entry to the 1976 British Open Golf Championship qualification round despite being a complete novice.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

8.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations

Trivia
Maurice Flitcroft used to practise his golf on the playing fields of the local grammar school as he was banned from all golf courses in the area.

Goofs
There is no such golf competition as "The British Open". It has always been known as just "The Open" - as it was the first, and only. Other countries may have their own local open championships, such as the "US Open", which always has the host nation's name to indicate that they are not the original.

Quotes
Jean Flitcroft: I knew a young man once. Said he was gonna be somebody. Promised me diamonds, caviar, champagne. Travel the world, he said.
Maurice Flitcroft: Sounds like you-you should've married him.

Crazy credits
Before the final credits, actual archive footage is shown of interviews with Maurice that were featured during the film, showing that they actually happened.

Connections
Features Good Morning Britain (1983)

Soundtracks
Pick Up the Pieces
Performed by Average White Band
Written by Alan Gorrie, Malcolm Duncan, Robbie McIntosh (as Robert McIntosh), Onnie McIntyre (as Owen McIntyre), Roger Ball and Hamish Stuart (as James Hamish Stuart)
Licensed courtesy of Demon Music Group
Published by BMG Rights Management UK Ltd., a BMG company and by Joe's Songs Ltd.
Administered by Wixen Music Publishing Ltd. and by Fairwood Music Ltd.

User reviews78

Review

Featured review

6/10

The Phantom of the Open

Crane driver Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), decides to follow his dream of playing golf at the British Open, which he achieves, hitting the highest score ever. Opinion on him is divided between the rather pompous golf community represented by a bespectacled Rhys Ifans and those that admire his spirit, in this unlikely true story.

This is a very sweet, almost Ealingesque comedy combining the fun on the golf course with the drama of the problems his and his family's dreams cause. Rylance is fun albeit quite twee, with Sally Hawkins providing solid support. It all builds to a charming climax before real footage of the real Flitcroft shows how much this is all apparently spot in.