"A sheer delight."
— Charles Gant, Heat
"Enchanting and profoundly moving."
— Stefan Pape, Heyguys
"A quirky Britcom with bite and soul."
— Kevin Maher, Times (UK)
"It has a gentle upbeat cheeriness thats hard to resist."
— Olly Richards, Time Out
"It's gorgeously acted and the slapstick made me cry with laughter."
— Charlotte O'Sullivan, London Evening Standard
"Packs a considerable helping of crowd-pleasing charm into its cap and golfing slacks."
— Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
"A unique character study that champions the simple, satisfying idea of having fun in life."
— Brent Simon, AV Club
"There’s an earnestness to Rylance’s performance, which encourages us to find inspiration in the underdog."
— Simran Hans, The Observer (UK)
"Rylance is excellent — striding on to the green of his new Jerusalem with just those cut-price clubs and his destiny."
— Danny Leigh, Financial Times
"Mark Rylance scores some farcical laughs as real-life mediocrity Maurice Flitcroft, but his family life gives the movie heart."
— Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
"It’s a story about following your passion, not because of the heights this path will take you to, but because it makes you happy."
— Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
"The Phantom of the Open is a love letter to dreamers everywhere, and as such it defies scrutiny. Gifted actors have a way of blurring one’s critical vision."
— Leonard Maltin, leonardmaltin.com
"The Phantom of the Open is a biopic of a refreshingly under-told story of an amateur player that let nothing stop him from etching his name into golf history."
— Maxwelll Rabb, Chicago Reader
"The Phantom of the Open is one of this year’s most charming films––a broad crowdpleaser that stands a good chance of winning over even the most cynical audiences."
— Alistair Ryder, The Film Stage
"Never has there been a better time to delve into the story of Maurice Flitcroft, a British crane operator who became known as 'Britain’s worst golfer.' And never has there been a better time to honour him onscreen."
— Anne T. Donahue, Globe and Mail
"Phantom of the Open is the entertaining and uplifting portrait of an ordinary extraordinary man, a perfectly imperfect marriage and the power of positive thinking in bucking the system and realizing the impossible."
— Thelma Adams, AARP Movies for Grownups
"Craig Roberts directs energetically -- lots of pop songs, fantasy sequences, trick shots -- but the film is made by its casting. Flitcroft is played by Mark Rylance, who brings more charm and humanity to the part than seems possible."
— David Sexton, New Statesman
"Director Craig Roberts gives the story a fairy tale quality, seeing Maurice as an innocent wandering through the big bad world and outsmarting those who live by traditional notions of class, power, and achievement, to a bouncy soundtrack of 70’s hits."
— Nell Minow, Movie Mom
"An uproarious comedy. The Phantom of the Open is a rousing salute to a very English strain of nincompoopery – and a wise and witty reminder that that the pleasure of doing something spectacularly badly can outstrip the satisfaction of a job well done."
— Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
