Tennis Anyone? (2005)

Tennis Anyone? is a mild-mannered indie film that is worth its salt, or celluloid. Donal Logue often plays a hapless schlub, and the skin fits him like a glove. Here he is an actor who is lucky enough to star in a popular family show, but he is coaxed into making a couple mistakes that threaten his acting career. Kirk Fox plays his loyal buddy who teaches tennis on the side, and draws him into charity tennis competitions, usually facing off against an acid-tongued nemesis who is expertly played by Jason Isaacs. The story develops at a leisurely pace, and the chemistry between characters feels organic. I would have liked this movie as much as Orange County, except for a prevalent macho misogyny (social events are just a pretext to "score pussy"), a darkened-room masturbation scene, and some drug references. In the final scene, the charity work continues, so all is apparently redeemed. Enjoy! 3.5 stars. (6-25-16)