The Match
Synopsis
Wullie Smith, still carrying the physical and emotional scars of a childhood tragedy, is Inverdoune's milkman, a young man whose potential is concealed behind his gently uncertain exterior. Wullie is known locally for his remarkable TFR (Total Football Recall) and for his not-very-secret love for Rosemary Bailey, the beautiful daughter of Bill Bailey, a local farmer with a curious affection for cows. Rosemary has returned briefly to Inverdoune, after five years away at university and she plans to leave again to pursue a career in the big city. Wullie's dreams of winning her are helped by the wisdom and insight of the remarkable Buffalo, a troubled semi-alcoholic American left stranded in Scotland after his USAF unit moved away.
The single-street village has only two pubs: Benny's Bar owned by Big Tam, the ramshackle spiritual home of its delightfully eccentric clientele, and L'Bistro, a place of sterile modernity owned by the preening narcissist, Gorgeous Gus.
Benny's Bar may soon be lost forever. A bet made to settle a feud between the original owners of the two bars, is to be finally resolved by the result of the 100th annual football contest between the two bars. Past form indicates poor prospects for the team from Benny's Bar which has lost the match for 99 years in a row. But it is only the result of this, the centenary game, which will determine which of the two bars will be closed forever. . .
Details
- Year
- 1999
- Type of film
- Features
- Format
- 35mm
- Director
-
Mick Davis 1st Feature
- Producer
- Steve Golin
- Executive Producer
- Steve Golin
- Director of Photography
- Witold Stok BSc
- Principal cast
- Max Beesley, Richard E. Grant, Tom Sizemore, Ian Holm, Laura Fraser, David O'Hara, Bill Patterson, Neil Morrisey, James Cosmo, David Hayman, Isla Blair, Samantha Fox, Andy Gray, Iain Robertson, Hope Ross, Jonathan Watson.
- Screen Writer
- Mick Davis
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Propaganda Films/Rafford Films c/o Polygram Film International Oxford House 76 Oxford Street London W1N 0HQ Tel: 020 7307 1300 Fax: 020 7307 1301
Sales Company
Polygram Film International as Production Company
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Director: Philip James McGoldrick
Year: 2025
An emotionally charged sports drama following Grazyna "The Tramp" Jarzynowska, a British-Polish MMA fighter whose meteoric rise is abruptly halted by an unexpected pregnancy.

Director: Akporé Uzoh
Year: 2025
The aftermath of a sexual assault (rape). Exploring the deep-felt consequences for all involved. At its heart an epic story of a couple's fight for the survival of their love.

Director: Ethan Coen
Year: 2025
Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator, delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church.<br /> Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2025 - Midnight Screenings - World premiere