Everybody's a critic - 'Wimbledon'

Four stars (out of four)

Sappy romantics, keep your eyes out for this one. Single people, I would not advise you to see this movie, as it caused me to feel lonelier than ever.

"Wimbledon" is a classic tale of lust turned to love, in the fairy-tale setting of a tennis tournament. The beautiful heroine steals the heart of the older hero with a batting of the eyes and a lusty shower scene.

I am not one to cry at movies, but if I were, you can bet I would have been bawling.

The ending is just how I wanted it, although it isn't clichéd. Lots of scenes initially left me feeling let down, just to bring me back up, smiling, in the end. The childlike games and frolicking the characters shared were ingenious.

Obviously, the directors have chosen well with this match made in tennis heaven. I would recommend this fragile movie to couples everywhere.

- Amanda Spence, student

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Three and a half (out of four)

Although I'm not a tennis buff, I enjoyed this movie. It is a combination of comedy and romance.

Rating it on violence, it was minimum. Tennis players were hit with tennis balls, but it was mild compared with other movies released today.

There was also not as much foul language as one would expect, and as for the love scenes, they were left to the viewer's imagination for a change.

Although tennis players Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) and Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) jump into a relationship without knowing each other for more than a few minutes, you fall for the couple and root for them to overcome obstacles in order to be together.

This film also teaches a good lesson: If one strives to reach the top, they can make it.

I recommend this movie.

- Susan Noce, homemaker

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Two stars (out of four)

A movie about a young man and woman who start with physical attraction and learn to genuinely care about each other and others is always appealing. So is a story about an underdog who finds the strength and competitive spirit to achieve what has always been considered impossible for him.

These two elements have been combined in this movie. The underdog is a 31-year-old British "over-the-hill" tennis player in his Wimbledon tournament. As the story begins, he meets and falls for a rising American tennis star. Then he proceeds to play tennis as he never had before.

It is a neat story idea and the people are likable, but somehow the pieces just do not jell and grab your interest, possibly because the romance and the Rocky-type emphasis clash rather than complement each other.

Whatever the reason, I rooted for this movie to put it together, but it did not. Exasperating!

- Jean Mason, city service