“Perfect Match” tells the love story of two tennis megastars: Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi – a bit of a biopic, a bit of a romantic comedy. Florian Gallenberger paints a romanticized but charming picture of the relationship between the two protagonists.
1991, the time of the tennis boom
In the catacombs of the 1991 Paris tennis tournament, Andre Agassi still speaks quite disparagingly of Steffi Graf, calling her a tennis robot because she shows so little emotion on the court.
A short time later, the two happen to be sitting together at a press conference and the American, celebrated as a tennis rock star, gets to know Steffi Graf’s quick-witted side when it comes to hairstyles and tennis fashion.
Film without certificates of authenticity
Neither of these things actually happened, but Florian Gallenberger’s film is not concerned with certificates of authenticity anyway. It is certainly based on Agassi’s autobiography, otherwise it is enough to say that “it could possibly have happened that way”.
“Perfect Match” tells the story of how the two smile at each other in the victory photo at Wimbledon and then slowly move away from each other and then towards each other again over several years.
It’s hardly about sport
Andre is stuck in a high society marriage with Brooke Shields for a while, while Steffi is in a relationship with racing driver Michael Bartels and is busy slowly taking her life into her own hands at home in Brühl
Toby Sebastian as Andre Agassi and Lena Klenke as Steffi Graf recreate the few shots from the tennis court and the characteristic movements surprisingly well.
But in contrast to the many tennis documentaries that are currently rife or the Boris Becker films, even the movie “Challengers”, this one is least of all about the sport.
Kitschy, but carefully told
It’s about overambitious fathers and the real danger of losing the joy of life because of the pressure to succeed. And the film nicely juxtaposes the two’s similar childhood and life experiences.
But “Perfect Match” is first and foremost an often surprisingly harmonious mixture of biopic, “romcom” and classic love story, which pursues the thesis that the two were always meant for each other, which it tells carefully and restrainedly despite all the romantic feeling.
A match with two winners
Of course, it’s also kitschy, no question about it, the supporting characters are mostly made of papier-mâché, but Lena Klenke in particular enlivens the film with her mischievous charm and an underlying zest for life, which suits the character Steffi Graf, who remains largely aloof and unknown to the public.
The fact that she and Andre Agassi have been together perfectly and apparently without any problems for 25 years is something they deserve. For a change, a “match” in which both of them are winners on the court.
2024-06-28 13:41:26
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