While the real story of Maurice Flitcroft is quite interesting, this movie version is overall disappointing. The main character, Mr Flitcroft, is portrayed as a likeable simpleton who, despite growing up in Britain, is oblivious to the fact that the British Open golf championship is played by the world's very best golfers. To suspend belief and think that the movie version of Maurice Flitcroft, having never played a round of golf in his life, actually believes that he can win the tournament is just plain ridiculous. The real Maurice Flitcroft managed to enter the tournament because he was a bit of a scoundrel, a scallywag and a trouble maker seeing 'fame and fortune'. The movie version was actually seeking the 10,000 pound prize money as he was likely to be retrenched from his job as a crane operator.
What would have been more interesting would have been to explore exactly how the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (who run the British Open) managed to allow Flitcroft to enter the qualifying rounds as a complete unknown and how he was able to complete 18 holes and score 121 without anyone alerting the authorities. Even better would have been an attempt to try to delve into why the real Maurice Flitcroft was so determined to seek fame and fortune in a sport he had no experience at, but this was passed up.
As a side note, a real missed opportunity in the film was when the authorities became aware that Flitcroft had scored 63 (for his opening nine holes). When informed of this, the official in charge should have said, "63? That's excellent!" and then should have been informed that it was only for the front nine. The makers of the movie didn't seem to understand this.
Overall, the film is a disappointment, making Flitcroft out to be a loveable idiot whose heart is in the right place instead of a more interesting character with a strange desire for attention and infamy. Someone the film makers chose to ignore for the sake of a few cheap laughs. A pity.
What would have been more interesting would have been to explore exactly how the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (who run the British Open) managed to allow Flitcroft to enter the qualifying rounds as a complete unknown and how he was able to complete 18 holes and score 121 without anyone alerting the authorities. Even better would have been an attempt to try to delve into why the real Maurice Flitcroft was so determined to seek fame and fortune in a sport he had no experience at, but this was passed up.
As a side note, a real missed opportunity in the film was when the authorities became aware that Flitcroft had scored 63 (for his opening nine holes). When informed of this, the official in charge should have said, "63? That's excellent!" and then should have been informed that it was only for the front nine. The makers of the movie didn't seem to understand this.
Overall, the film is a disappointment, making Flitcroft out to be a loveable idiot whose heart is in the right place instead of a more interesting character with a strange desire for attention and infamy. Someone the film makers chose to ignore for the sake of a few cheap laughs. A pity.