An unassuming but optimistic shipyard worker (Mark Rylance) enters the 1976 British Open despite never having played a round of golf in his life, in this biopic based on the true story of Maurice Flitcroft.
Staring down the barrel of unemployment as the shipbuilding industry becomes nationalized in the UK, perpetual hobbyist and unrelenting optimist Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) applies to enter the 1976 British Open with the encouragement of his wife (Sally Hawkins). There’s just one problem: he’s never played golf before. With pluckiness and his twin sons ― who happen to be champion disco dancers ― at his side, Maurice pulls off a series of stunning, hilarious, and heartwarming attempts to compete at the highest level of professional golf, all without success and much to the annoyance of the elitist golfing community. But despite his failures, Maurice rises to folkloric fame, delighting fans worldwide with his sunniness rather than his skills.
Based on a true story, The Phantom of the Open finds the extraordinary in the ordinary, and proves that whether our attempts are birdies or bogeys (or perhaps even worse), there’s always something to be found in simply trying.