‘Wimbledon’ with Noah Ballard

Episode 8

What if a washed-up tennis journeyman (Paul Bettany) and a rising phenom (Kirsten Dunst) made a pact to hook up before every round of Wimbledon?

That’s a big swing from this 2004 rom-com, but how’s its follow-through? Noah Ballard (Verve) joins our sports-romance kick to analyze the darker movie at the core of “Wimbledon,” savor the film’s giant cast, and regale us with racquet-sports anecdotes from his own life.

 

 

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About “The Kick”

“The Kick” is a theme-obsessed movie podcast where new releases are the ultimate excuse to fill blindspots and let that completist flag fly.

Part of the Now Playing Network, the show runs in multi-episode arcs—or kicks—that explore a particular sub-genre or filmography, and then culminate in a relevant new film. As in, “I’m on a sports-romance kick, and it won’t be over until I see Challengers.

Every week, host Chance Solem-Pfeifer is joined by a fellow writer, filmmaker, or movie appreciator. You can contact him at chancesolempfeifer [at] gmail [dot] com and read his film writings in the Willamette Week.