To put it in tennis terms, Wimbledon is a perfect ace. Filmed at the famous ivy-laden complex in southern London, the movie puts together a winning match by blending its syrupy love story with the excitement and energy of one of the world's premier tennis tournaments. Kirsten Dunst (Spiderman) and Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind) are as convincing at portraying a couple falling in love as they are at looking like tennis pros. Without a doubt, Wimbledon will exceed all expectations any viewer has with regards to this movie being another clichd chick flick. For with Wimbledon, executive producer Tim Breven, the mastermind behind Love Actually, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Notting Hill, has finally completed his grand slam repertoire of modern-day, romantic classics.

Bettany plays British tennis player Peter Colt, who is currently ranked 119th on the professional tour. At 31, Peter feels like a relative geezer, constantly losing to teenage tennis hot shots. After receiving a wildcard entry into the Wimbledon tournament, Colt decides he will retire after the competition to the lifestyle of all subpar tennis pros-coaching old ladies at elitist country clubs. While at Wimbledon, however, Peter meets American tennis star Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst), and the two begin to experiment with whether "fooling around before a match" bolsters one's performance on the court.

Powered up by her vivacious, carefree attitude, Peter finds himself rising through the ranks at Wimbledon while falling in love with Lizzie. The couple faces stiff challenges though, mainly from Lizzie's overprotective father (Sam Neill, Jurassic Park III), who thinks her time with Peter will detract from her performance on the court. Peter also faces personal challenges on his reinvigorated quest for the Wimbledon title as he is forced his play his best friend, Dieter Prohl (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Stealing Rembrandt) and Justin Timberlake look-alike Jake Hammond (Austin Nichols, The Day After Tomorrow), a top-ranked youngster on the tour who also competes for Lizzie's affections.

He is not an A-list celebrity, but does the name Paul Bettany not ring a bell? Maybe you recall his face on the Wimbledon movie posters from his auxiliary role as Heath Ledger's sonnet spouting herald in the teeny-bopper classic, A Knight's Tale. Perhaps you remember him as Russell Crowe's make-believe best friend in the Oscar winning best film, A Beautiful Mind? Bettany has reportedly said that he considers himself the actor studios hire when they don't want to pay Jude Law's salary. After Wimbledon, Hollywood may have found itself a new leading man as well as possible heartthrob. Bettany has the charm and charisma, as well as the body, to make him capable of carrying a film.

Lizzie's perky yet pigheaded character is hardly a stretch for Dunst considering her roles, such as her now famous portrayal of Mary-Jane Watson in the Spiderman movies. Yet when it comes to casting an upbeat blonde that will doing anything to win, Dunst has that character type down pat (Remember her as the head cheerleader in Bring It On?)

One keeps waiting for Wimbledon to revert back to typical cheesy tricks employed by all romantic comedies-the picturesque setting for the perfect first kiss, the stupid lovers' quarrels and worst of all, the sappy sweet nothings that are as cheaply packaged as CVS Valentine's Day chocolates. Yet Wimbledon avoids these clichd techniques by relying on real-life emotion and good script writing. The flushed faces and giggles of Peter and Lizzie after admitting they are attracted to each other are as authentic as anyone in audience confessing feelings to a crush.

Despite what the box office numbers show, Wimbledon truly does offer something for everyone. The romantic plotline will appeal to female population, while girlfriends should be able to talk their guys into seeing the flick using the sports scenario and Kirsten Dunst as incentives. Parents and their almost-grown-up offspring can definitely take in Wimbledon together, as the conflict between Lizzie and her father relates to the "child leaving the nest" struggle many families deal with. Even adults and older couples will be seduced by Wimbledon through the suspense of the tennis tournament and the adorable manner in which Peter and Lizzie fall for each other.

With Wimbledon, the producing team that brought us British-based romantic hits like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill finally got it right. Unlike its predecessors, Wimbledon avoids making the love story the whole focus of the movie, letting Peter's personal journey to find the motivation to win take center court at the plot of the film. The movie's cinematography is a high point, employing slow-motion close-ups to literally put you in the middle of the match. In this manner, the movie captures the peer as well as self-imposed pressures of competition, in addition to the butterflies and dreamy eyes that are the warning signs of falling in love. Thus, when it comes to romantic comedies, Wimbledon's a straight-set winner.