‘Phantom of the Open’ lesson: Yeah, golf is hard

Above : Mark Rylance stars in “The Phantom of the Open,” which opens Friday at the Magic Lantern Theatre. (Photo/Sony Pictures Classics)

Anyone who has ever picked up a golf club knows just how hard it is to smack a golf ball.

I almost added the word “straight” there. But then I realized that it would have been superfluous. Just hitting that damn thing more than 10 feet is hard enough; hitting it in a straight line is a bonus .

Anyway, golf is on the movie slate for Friday as a British feature titled “The Phantom of the Open” opens at the Magic Lantern Theatre .

The film, which is based on true events, stars Mark Rylance as an ordinary working bloke who decides to enter The Open (once known as The British Open) without ever having played the sport. Talk about a recipe for disaster.

The reviews are largely positive.

Yes, you’ll find naysayers. G. Allen Johnson of The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “As if to underscore his lack of trust in the story, Roberts overuses his classic ’70s soundtrack, substituting classic tunes for honestly earned emotion.’

But Anne T. Donahue of The Globe and Mail wrote, “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.”

While Lisa Kennedy of The New York Times added, “The sort of good-hearted movie the director Frank Capra would have liked to have taken a swing at.”

Yeah, I saw was Kennedy did there.