The Phantom of the Open

Play trailer

2:03

The Phantom of the Open

PG-13

Released Jun 3, 2022

1h 46m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

139 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN tells the heartwarming true story of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a dreamer and unrelenting optimist. This humble crane operator from Barrow-in-Furness managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship qualifying in 1976, despite never playing a round of golf before. He shot the worst round in Open history and drew the ire of the golfing elite, but became a folk hero in the process and, more importantly, showed his family the importance of pursuing your dreams.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Led by a stellar performance from Mark Rylance, The Phantom of the Open turns a stranger-than-fiction true story into crowd-pleasing entertainment.

Read Critics Reviews

Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

This too could be hilarious, if we weren’t being invited to accept the character at face value as the salt of the earth. As things stand, he’s fascinating but not entirely human -- at least, not as human as Paddington Bear.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 14, 2022

Full Review

Stephen Romei

The Australian

Suit-and-tie Mike worries about the gutter. Jean and the twins look to the stars. The man at the centre of it all, the husband, father and hoodwinker, is somewhere in between.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 12, 2022

Full Review

Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

Can I recommend “The Phantom of the Open” regardless of whether you approach the ball as a convert or run fast in the other direction? Sure.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 8, 2022

Full Review

Geoffrey Macnab

iNews.co.uk

Maurice may be a duffer on the course but he ultimately makes a very winning personality on the screen.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 17, 2025

Full Review

Christopher Connor

Flickering Myth

The Phantom of the Open works best as a showcase for its talented cast, proving the versatility of Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins in particular. This is a constantly fun watch with a real sense of heart and meaning.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 19, 2023

Full Review

Rafaela Sales Ross

WeLoveCinema

This wholesome hope is contagious: Roberts makes it impossible to resist thinking of the world as a land of Gumps and Flitcrofts, of indomitable dreamers. What a lovely thought that is.

Apr 25, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Belinda L

LOVED IT! Mark Rylander is phenomenal, supporting cast sublime, AND based on a true story! One of the best movies Ive seen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/10/22

Full Review

ntl

Great story, well acted!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/03/22

Full Review

Evelyn O

Charming and heart warming. We loved this movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/22

Full Review

Carolyn

Great movie! Made you laugh, cry, and enjoy!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/22

Full Review

Andrea

Funny, real story, heartwarming

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/22

Full Review

Diane

Entertaining and heartwarming

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/29/22

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Craig Roberts

Director

Mark Rylance

Maurice Flitcroft

Sally Hawkins

Jean Flitcroft

Rhys Ifans

Keith Mackenzie

Jake Davies

Michael Flitcroft

Christian Lees

Gene Flitcroft

The Lost King

77%

92%

The Lost King

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Lost King

Jerry & Marge Go Large

67%

80%

Jerry & Marge Go Large

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Jerry & Marge Go Large

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

35%

88%

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

The Miracle Club

68%

83%

The Miracle Club

Watchlist

Here Today

46%

93%

Here Today

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Here Today

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Phantom of the Open: Trailer 1

2:03

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN tells the heartwarming true story of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a dreamer and unrelenting optimist. This humble crane operator from Barrow-in-Furness managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship qualifying in 1976, despite never playing a round of golf before. He shot the worst round in Open history and drew the ire of the golfing elite, but became a folk hero in the process and, more importantly, showed his family the importance of pursuing your dreams.

Director: Craig Roberts
Producer: Kate Glover, Nichola Martin, Tom Miller
Screenwriter: Simon Farnaby
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Water & Power Productions, Ingenious Media, British Film Institute, BBC Films, Baby Cow Productions, Spartiate Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Strong Language|Smoking)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2022, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $748.3K
Runtime: 1h 46m

Most Popular at Home Now