Seve: The Movie

I hardly ever give things 10 out of 10, bar Casablanca and Seven, but this film certainly achieves what it sets out to: an enthusiastically-told tribute to what must've been an amazing man. Slightly saccharine flashbacks to his childhood are offset by jaw-dropping footage, interesting interviews and an ending which keeps picking up in emotive punch.

Self-indulgence, however, is never a problem (despite a near two-hour running time) as the flashbacks actually end up serving the documentary footage well (the young Seve is a revelation, albeit in a highly specialised role) while the real Seve and his contemporaries add more gravitas, relevance, humour and pathos to the making of this great sportsman.

Rounded of with a thumping if samey score, this gets top marks for innovation. One or two less for overall enjoyment perhaps, but that's merely the limit of the story's limited confines. Different, dazzling in places, but they make the best of what's available. And no-one should be penalised for that.

This is a lovely film that is both educational and moving.

'Seve The Movie' offers up a cinematic story telling of the real life Seve Ballesteros, focussing in the main on his childhood interest in golf (broadly speaking from the age of 10 to 16). It reveals enough of his upbringing, family and environment - and above all his single-minded drive to become a great golfer - to give us a good picture of Seve as a boy.

Mixed in with this story telling (a little intrusively at times) is real archive footage of the adult Seve's major golfing adventures. The irregular time jumps might not be to everyone's taste, and I found it uncomfortable at the start. However on occasion it added to the story (for example, cutting back between an important chip shot at The Open to a similar shot played when he was a young boy worked quite well). Could the story have been told better in a linear manner? Maybe.

The film is a little light in places; some of the childhood events are rather patchy in their dramatisation, and the movie is incomplete too - the period between the 16 year old Seve getting a chance to turn professional and his first Major win is almost entirely overlooked. However, there's enough on offer to compensate for this, and the impact of his father, mother and brothers on his path is particularly interesting.

Where the film really shines is in its conclusion, moving as it does toward more real life archive footage and becoming deeply moving. The love between Seve and his younger countryman Jose Maria Olazabal is as beautifully portrayed as it is painfully intense, with one very brief, intimate and powerful moment between them - a candid shot filmed by the BBC - needing no embellishment.

The concluding 20 minutes or so, in which we see the eventual fate of the young boy portrayed earlier in the film, more than makes amends for any gaps in the story. So although I would have liked a little more from the film, I certainly had enough to understand and to care.

Very much recommended viewing, especially for sport fans or anyone lucky enough to have seen Seve play.

As someone who by and large is totally indifferent to sport, reviewing a film about the life of a golfing legend might not be a highly objective task although I would still do my best.

Ultimately, this film is about talent and that talent will find a way to flourish no matter what the obstacles are.

Seve grew up in a low middle class Spanish household, the son of a farmer. Nothing could be further from his world than golf. Early on in life, he developed an interest that grew with the passing of time to become a full blown passion. That young boy knew he was meant to play golf. Thus, after school and on term time developing his skills as a golfer was the only thing on Seve's mind.

The obstacles were of course plenty. Not doing well in school, pressure from home resulted in everything being against him. That did not diminish his passion by one iota. His determination, caused his parents to come to realise that this youngster had made up his mind about life and gold is his choice.

From then on, his talent was quickly recognised within his home town, then Spain and ended up becoming an internationally acclaimed sporting personality.

Like mentioned earlier, talent will find a way and Seve's found his, illuminating the world of golf.

The love of the golf fell upon the young, optimistic heart of Seve Ballesteros of Pedrena, Spain, signaling the start of a long affair of greatness. As a child prodigy, knowing with full confidence that he was going to be a champion someday, Ballesteros grew into one of the most beloved and inspirational European professional golfers of all time. Seve the Movie beautifully follows Ballesteros' path from skipping school to hit golf balls on the beach near his home, to traveling across the world for golf tournaments, winning trophies. Director John-Paul Davidson's creative direction is a driving force behind the tribute to the legend, as well as the ability to capture the real personality of Ballesteros through the young actor, Jose Luis Gutierrez, who portrays young Ballesteros in the film. Seve the Movie explores the challenges that Ballesteros was faced with in pursuit of his dream, as well as allowing the viewer to peek inside his genius mind behind golf technique. When talking about Ballesteros, a speaker in the film simply says, "He strode like a champion." After seeing Ballesteros' charisma and charm played out in the biopic, I know that statement is spot-on. In all, Seve the Movie informs, motivates, and most importantly, reminds the audience of this man's dedication to the sport he loved.

Must say, this is just a lovely piece of film-making. Old fashioned storytelling and sweet tale, set within a novel framework which really works.

Chronicling Seve's life and using flashback sequences to informative childhood moments, we rise, fall and rise again with this charming character.

There humour, a few stakes and a progressing well of sentiment that grows for our hero as the film hits a crescendo of key moments.

A life well lived, blessed by genius and determination, cut short by tragedy but ultimately it's eternally hopeful and embracing of a transformative mortal journey that leaves an immortal footprint. Beautiful if a fraction long.