User reviews

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.

I don't know the history of golf because I'm not a regular follower of the game other than knowing a few names from this generation. So Severiano Ballesteros is an unheard name to me until I saw this beautiful film. I'm glad I saw it for the many reasons like that.

All the films are not for just entertainment, some are the great historical account that makes it reach in a wider distance like this one. Every sports produced its own legends, and so this film is focused on golf. One of the best sport-drama I have ever seen and an important film based on the golf, specially dedicated to Seve fans.

An English-Spanish language film produced with the collaboration of Britain-Spain. It sets in a small coastal town of the northern Spain in the year 1967 where the 10 year old Seve introduced to us. Being born in a hardworking farmer family and after losing interest in the studies, how he develops a passion towards the golf is what the film portraits. At the young age he begins to think of the game of all the time and it becomes his life. With the support from his family and trained himself in the harsh conditions make him turn into one of the gifted golfer in the history.

This is one of the strangest screen presentations I have seen. It is nothing visual spectacular, or if you expect it to be a film that recreates his whole life, then you might end in a disappointment. Because it was a mix of the feature film as well as the documentary. His childhood days before he becomes a pro was awesomely cinematised and the rest was the archive footages from all the tournament he had competed.

"The one with biggest heart will win."

That's the part anybody must not miss it because some of the greatest shots he ever played and when he teed off a bad shot, how he came back to the game was so inspiring. His spellbinding techniques and as a humble human being, anyone who does not know would to begin to like him like I did. The blend in narration between the real videos and actors performed were amazing. A perfect screen exhibition for a great sporting personality.

Coming from an economically poor family did not stop him to pursue his dream. Everyone goes through a struggle while chasing such dream, and so Seve did despite very talented. It was a long journey that covered most of his life. With the interview clippings attached to it, lets us know his many unknown qualities of his family, friends, former teammates and opponents recalling their memories. Including some of his old interviews where he reveals how much he loved the game.

It was not your usual biographical-sport film, but surely a must see. Very cleverly written screenplay and obviously wonderful editing. Especially if you're a Severiano Ballesteros' fan, you'll definitely love to see him in the film. This is how you showcase a legend on the screen if making money from the product is not an agenda, but letting the world who is Severiano Ballesteros.

Actually, it was directed by a documentary filmmaker, so he excelled it. But the sad part is the film did not reach a wider audience or even the golf fans as it should have been. Mainly because the film did not see the worldwide release, but it is available in the digital format. So I hope my review made you a curious about it and I once gain hope you would recommend it to your friends.

9/10

Great story. Great involvement from Seve himself. Great interviews. Horribly scarred by time jumps back and forth to childhood at random and irritating times. This story has a beginning, a middle and an ending. Unfortunately, the director showed no respect for this in a failed effort at cinematic show boating. Why does everyone try to be Quentin Tarantino. Be yourself. And most of all show respect for the subject matter.

Seve Ballesteros changed the game of golf forever and inspired thousands through his never- ending strive for success. Seve the Movie tells the compelling and inspirational story of Seve Ballesteros life. Director, John-Paul Davidson, captured the struggles Seve encountered through combining dramatic recreations with archive footage. From seeing a young Seve on the beaches of Spain, teaching himself the game with a broken 3 iron strapped to a stick, to becoming one of the greatest golfers of a generation. This film will leave the viewer feeling inspired and ready to take on their passions. Overall this film truly shows how a passion and talent for something will flourish no matter what the obstacles are.

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.

Dragged along a mate last night in Leatherhead to see this ultimate tribute to a golfing god. I loved everything about this movie and it was so creative they brought Seve the kid back to life with a lovable little kid who was his spit and image, both in character and on the course. There was even about 15 minutes of new footage even I hadn;t seen before - and I thought I'd seen the lot on Seve via Dana on youtube! Really brought him back to life and paid perfect testimony to all Seve accomplished from lowly roots to the pinnacle of the game. It's a proper story, almost a fairytale. But it's all true. Seve was the greatest and while I never give anything 10 since ET, this came close. Even my mate was surprised and blubbing. DVD comes out this month, get it for anyone who loves golf, sport or has a flicker of human emotion. Seve the man delivers more feeling in a look, smile, or scowl than you'd get in most relationships.

My dad was a huge Seve fan but aside from his major achievements I knew nothing of his life. I was wide-eyed at a bold and emotive picture which opened me up to a heroic journey which shows how even the great champions are made, not born - and often by the sacrifices of others around them, not simply their own. The flashback structure is hardly Memento but all the more intelligible for it. While powerhouse ending is absolute killer - heartrending, inspiring, hopeful, and uplifting at the same time. As the audience poured out into a bright summer's evening, you could tell their thoughts were still elsewhere with Seve. I already have my dad's stocking filler for Christmas.

I am a golfer but still not was rushing to watch a film about golf, until I'd read a few reviews and been recommended by a friend. It was well worth the trip. Superb archive footage (much of it I'd never seen before) lovingly woven into a drama of reflective childhood moments. It's a film which tells Seve's amazing journey with style, emotion and a little humour. Three things I wasn't expecting to get out of a golf film. As a result, this film rises out of the swamp of most sports films, telling a universal tale of breaking out and examining the anatomy of what makes a genius. My wife also loved it, particularly enjoying the key family moments of drama. In truth, I was more into the fascinating footage, but the kid they found to play Seve was from casting heaven (for looks and credibility) and really helps you buy into what was at stake for a poor farmer's son trying to break out of a backwater village with the only ticket he could get his hands on. The drama did drag a little for me in the middle (hence being short of full marks) but the pay-off is a powerful 15-minute closing which had us both blabbing. Strong, insightful, different, and a tearjerker.

Grew up with Seve as my golfing hero - next to Kack Nicklaus - so always wanted to watch this film but never got round to it

Firstly, it's basically a documentary, but. It has a nice easy storyline, with a decent look at growing up in Northern Spain

It documents his childhood well, and becomes a well written, if slightly predictable story

Somehow, in the second half of the film, it takes on a life of its own. Lots of TV footage from the day, but somehow it works.

It results in an extraordinarily emotional last 20 minutes, which I will leave you to explore

Superb!!

I loved this film for so many reasons. I particularly liked the clarity with which the filmmaker understood and presented the essence of Seve Ballesteros' behavior and psyche, his passion for practicing the most difficult shots in the most difficult locations and developing supreme self-confidence in the process.

The fact that he was forced into this approach because he did not have the equipment, the connections, or money to play on conventional golf courses when he was young does not undermine the power of the story. He took what was available to him and he turned it to his advantage. He referred to the fact that anyone could create and play on a golf course in his or her imagination.

He had a charismatic personality and the ability to joke about his tendency to hit difficult shots well.

This is a story and film with lessons far beyond golf and sports. It is a metaphor for life.

I found this such a refreshing doc, brim full of life (produced by its charismatic lead and nostalgic nods to the hero's past) and anchored in a bittersweet reality. It also isn;t afraid to take its time with a slow build that weans you off the drama before delivering a rousing archive-led conclusion. Really could;t recommend it highly enough. My husband and his father recommended it and it certainly played to a female perspective for good old-fashioned story- telling even if the protagonist is a boy's own hero. The music is also wonderful, similarly befitting from a natural simplicity and effortlessly tracking the character arc without ever laying it on too thickly. My takeaways from this movie are two-fold - I will be among the first in the DVD queue whenever it comes out and I will be taking a holiday to Pedrena with my hubby next summer. Stunning visually and an unabashed ode to what makes a remarkable human being

Seve: The Movie succeeds in creating a tribute to the great Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros which both acts as documentary and a universal, engaging story of passion and perseverance. A mixture of conventional, archive-based documentary and dramatized biopic – Director John-Paul Davidson does a masterful job of fleshing out the past of young Ballesteros. Child actor Jose Luis Gutierrez convincingly takes on this role. While lesser films would have delved into melodrama, Seve: The Movie shows the failures as well as the triumphs to give a sense of realism to the making of one of golf's legends. Flitting between footage of its subject's triumphs at the British Open and US Masters, and a reenactment of his impoverished childhood as a farmer's son in Spain, the charismatic figure of Ballesteros shines through. Filled with passion, charm, and occasional humor, the film will have you cheering on this golfing pro whether you are familiar with him at the onset of the movie or not.

Seve the Movie was about professional golfer, Seve Ballesteros. The film recounted his early life, showing how became interested in golfing growing up in Spain. It shows the struggles Ballesteros faced while growing up on a farm and having to forgo his love of playing the game in order to further his education. Jose Luis Gutierrez plays a young Seve, and he was absolutely incredible in this role. Interspersed throughout the recreated parts of Ballesteros' story is archival footage of him playing in various tournaments such as the Masters and the PGA European Tour. There were also interviews, which I found helped the story along, as he talked about the moments from his childhood that the movie had just recounted in the previous scene. I have never before been interested in the game of golf, but Seve's story was so incredible and so inspirational that I might have to try to participate and maybe even watch a few tournaments. This movie is a must-see for everyone, but particularly if you love the sport.

I don't much care for golf, but I love biopics and remembered Seve fondly even though I knew little of his life, and certainly childhood. I've never quite seen anything like this film, however, which resets the bar for docu-drama with what appears a faithful reworking of Seve's story, told through the eyes of formative years and engaging archive footage. The latter is amusing, informative and fascinating, the former is beautifully shot, sweet and life-affirming. This must've been an editing nightmare but the balance really works, setting up the real payoff: an in overwhelming final 30 mins. Top marks for editing, ingenuity and emotive film-making.

From director John-Paul Davidson comes an inspiring sports biopic about the late, great golfing legend, Seve Ballesteros. Seve the Movie chronicles the fascinating and true account about how a young country boy from Spain grew up to become celebrated as one of the greatest golfers of all time. Throughout the film, director John- Paul Davidson beautifully intertwines real footage from Seve's personal life and career with reenacted scenes from his childhood to give viewers a full and complete look at not just Seve the golfer, but Seve the man. By the middle of the film, I realized that Seve's story was much more than just a "rags to riches" sports narrative. His story is about passion, determination, and following his dreams. Seve Ballesteros had the heart and mind of a champion, and his legacy deserves to be preserved through amazing works like this film. Seve the Movie is not just for golfers or sports fans, it's for anyone looking to feel inspired and uplifted. If you haven't seen it yet, I don't know what you're waiting for. http://bit.ly/1WBE1yk

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.