The oft-told, melancholy premise of aging or stricken athletes edging towards the end of his/her career (think Requiem for a Heavyweight, Bang the Drum Slowly, The Wrestler, or—before it became a cartoon fantasy—the original Rocky) receives a tennis workout from French director Quentin Reynaud, filming with the cooperation of the French Tennis Federation. This film could be added to library programs focusing on sports, or specifically tennis.
Thomas Edison (Alex Lutz) was once a young French phenom on the courts, only to burn out early with a humiliating defeat in 2001. He has since struggled in minor matches, begged by his beautiful young ex-player wife (Ana Giradot) to retire and become a proper family man at 37. On the other hand, his tennis-school mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) continues, in her passive-aggressive style, to urge Edison forward in the game.
Entering the French Open qualifiers, Edison wins a series of matches, despite ongoing knee issues and other injuries catching up with him. Suddenly christened by the media as a proverbial comeback kid, Edison feels the return of fan adulation and endorsement deals. But will he push himself too far?
In many ways, it is a standard jock melodrama, with fairly low-key introspection from the hero (who privately concedes that he knows nothing but tennis and has no practical skills—except for tennis). Only in the all-or-nothing sport's finale does Reynaud veer away from a crowd-pleasing, focus-grouped Hollywood-style ending to offer something more unconventional and provocative.
Still, even with champion performances all around, it is drawn out a bit. Add a bonus point for viewers who are fans of the rackets racket. Disc extras include a Q&A session with director Reynaud (speaking English) and hardworking actor Lutz (speaking French).
Vulgar language is the only objection some viewers may have; indeed, the MPAA might once have lobbed a mere PG over the net at this one had the opportunity presented. A muscular addition to foreign-language library collections.