Next month, The Phantom of the Open will be released internationally. The film benefits from a star-studded cast including Oscar winner Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies, Don’t Look Up), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (Spencer, The Shape of Water), Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man, Anonymous), and Mark Lewis Jones (Chernobyl, Outlander).

Craig Roberts’ touching comedy-drama concerns the real-life story of Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator who made the headlines in 1976 when, despite having only rudimentary golfing skills, he managed to gain entry into the qualifying rounds of the British Open. After finishing in 121 strokes, the worst round in the competition’s history, he came to the attention of the newspapers. Subsequently, he tried to gain entry to the tournament, again and again, using disguises.

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The film has already met with positive reviews on its general British release in March. However, over and above the atmosphere of British whimsy and the film’s main character projects, the film stands as an addition to the growing collection of movies that comprise interesting, heartwarming stories about famous underdogs and failures. Why are we so obsessed with those who end up at the bottom of the pile? Here are a few reasons.

We Love an Underdog

     20th Century Fox

Part of the appeal of The Phantom of the Open is that its protagonist overcomes enormous odds to pursue his dream. Such people are easy to root for – just ask Olympic Games fans who remember British athlete Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards, whose underwhelming performance in the ski jump competition at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary endeared him to the world. Having qualified by default – Great Britain had never entered a ski jumper in the Winter Olympics before, so there was no one to compete against – Edwards finished a poor last in both of the events he entered but returned to his job as a plasterer in Britain only to find himself an unlikely media celebrity.

The story was ideal movie material, and in 2016 Eddie the Eagle was released, with Welsh actor Taron Egerton (in his first leading film role) as Edwards, already showing the acting chops that would earn him a Golden Globe Award three years later for his portrayal of Elton John in Rocketman. The Phantom of the Open plows the same furrow, painting would-be golfer Flitcroft as an everyman pitting his wits not only against professional golfers but against a sporting bureaucracy that would deny him the chance to show his mettle.

We Are Fascinated by People Who Don’t Realize They’re Underdogs

If Flitcroft’s golfing odyssey showed anything, it was that although he may have had pluck, he had precious little sporting talent. This dynamic has also been proven to fascinate the movie-going public, as the success of Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) demonstrates. Featuring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, the biopic told the story of a real-life New York socialite who, in spite of being tone-deaf, nevertheless insisted on regaling her New Yorker friends with her off-key renditions of arias and popular songs, utterly convinced of her own musical prowess.

Streep’s work as Jenkins won widespread critical praise. Grant’s tender portrayal of her young lover and companion, eager to help her achieve her dreams of performing at Carnegie Hall and yet concerned to protect her from the scorn of bemused concert-goers, earned him BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations.

Films About Failures Invert the ‘Winner’ Aesthetic

     Buena Vista Pictures

Films about sporting success are all very well, but films about noble failure can tug just as effectively at the heartstrings. Cool Runnings (1993) is a case in point. Again based on a true story, the movie relates the adventures of a Jamaican sprinter who, having failed to make the cut for the nation’s Summer Olympics team, hits on the idea of forming a bobsled team – the nation’s first- - and realizing his dream of becoming an Olympian by competing in the Winter Olympics instead.

Starring Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, and John Candy as the team’s washed-up coach, the film was an unexpected box office hit on release and is widely considered one of the best sporting movies ever. But perhaps we ought not to be surprised. Though played for laughs and taking some liberties with the real-life version of events – in the film, the Jamaicans are vying for a podium placing in the latter stages of the competition, whereas in reality, they were well behind the medal contenders – Cool Runnings served as a timely reminder of why tilting at windmills can sometimes result in greater returns than victories, no matter how hard-earned, ever can. The Jamaican bobsled team lost in 1988 but seen from another perspective, one that we can all recognize, they won – they worked hard, had their shot, and won the goodwill of people the world over.