Legends of the Fall.  There, I've said it.  It's better to get it out of the way early, I suppose - and it's simply impossible to talk about Brian Tyler's new score for The Greatest Game Ever Played without mentioning it.  The main theme here is so similar to James Horner's theme from that film, without ever being quite the same as it - it's like listening to one of those trailer music pieces which alter just enough notes to avoid having to pay money to the person who actually wrote the music.  Indeed, it's almost as bad as one of Alan Williams's IMAX compilations.  No, I'll take that back; it's hard to imagine plagiarism on a grander scale than that in any field, at any time, ever.  However - it's bad.  Strange, given how much director Bill Paxton clearly likes Tyler (their previous collaboration, Frailty, boasted a fine score and Paxton has nice things to say here in his liner notes).

It's not just that, though - after hearing Legends of the Fall in the opening track, the second, "Immigrant's Theme", we get something which is half-way The Horse Whisperer, half-way Scent of a Woman (even more blatantly quoted in "The Amateur").  The third cue, "Determination", is inspired by any number of Hans Zimmer scores.  "Broken Dreams" - dare I say it - echoes Seabiscuit, as does the later, grand "Ride the High Country".  "A Chance Encounter" even manages to sound like Snuffy Walden's underscore from The West Wing!  All of this is a great pity because Tyler has amply demonstrated what an able composer he is since bursting onto the scene a couple of years ago.  However, the question has to be asked - does it really matter?

It's a tricky one.  For one thing, I very much doubt that it was Tyler's choice to allow the temp-track to bleed through quite so conspicuously.  For another, the obvious point to make is that if you're going to steal, then you may as well do it from scores as good as the ones I've mentioned.  Finally, it has to be said that Tyler has blended everything together seamlessly and the score works very well.  It is hugely enjoyable and hits all the right buttons (though it could probably be argued that there are just a few too many crescendi and big swells from the orchestra - the boy who cried wolf, and all that).  It is, after all, virtually impossible to write a bad score for a sports film (though those who sat through Space Jam - if anybody actually made it to the end - may disagree).  If anything, it is really rather hard to imagine that any game of golf could be quite as exciting and exhilarating as this music suggests!