Film review: Wimbledon (12A)

IN tennis parlance 'love' means no score, but in this charmingly romantic film, it's game, set and match.

The team behind Four Weddings has created another consistently funny drama, full of quirky Brits and two lead characters the crowd can really cheer for.

Pete is a self-conscious upper-class Brit (Bettany - not Hugh Grant), a pro tennis player at the tail end of his career, bouncing along the bottom of the tennis rankings and considering a cosy but dull future as a country club tennis coach.

His match point comes when he runs into young champion Lizzie (Dunst) and the two start an intense game between the sheets.

Pete starts winning again while Lizzie's game falters. Pete keeps on winning. In fact, at this rate he might outdo Henman and, imagine it, become a British Wimbledon champ.

The clean-cut couple skive off for dirty weekends and feature in the tabloids, but spend a lot of their time dodging Lizzie's pressurizing Dad, a superb Sam Neill.

It's a lovely, champagned world of posh niceties which you start off wanting to carpet bomb, but by mid point of this formulaic but witty set, Bettany has won the crowd over.

The action is capable but unsurprising: computer generated balls rocket from one end of the court to the other, backed by the shouts of commentators John McEnroe and Chris Evert.

Wimbledon isn't the most original serve from the Love Actually team, but it's still got plenty of bounce.

Mono rating: seven out of ten.