
Some of the filming is a bit choppy, including several flashbacks that aren’t really needed, but all-in-all the heart of the story is a good one. Deborah Ann Woll and the other supporting characters do very well, oftentimes despite small roles in the story. Duvall plays his usual crusty, no-nonsense character and Lucas Black is very expressive, both when he’s happy and smiles a crooked smile, and when he’s agonizing over his life.

Lucas Black and Robert Duvall turn in excellent performances. As Luke and Martin both own up to their failures and mend their relationship, we see clearly that “ Love never fails” ( 1 Corinthians 13:8). Martin’s parallel life struggle is not shown, but is insinuated vaguely at the end of the film. “ Fathers, do not exasperate your children.” Luke’s father, Martin, played somewhat weakly (and with a little too much mumbling) by Joseph Lyle Taylor, has to deal with his own shortcomings as a father, and the fact that he often pushes Luke too hard. He finds he can forgive his father, as Jesus admonishes in Matthew 6:14-15 and in the other three gospels and which Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:13. After spending his seven days in Utopia, Luke’s life is dramatically changed. The townsfolk, including pretty Sarah (Deborah Ann Woll), adopt Luke, and offer many friendly words of wisdom. Johnny uses some eccentric methods to help Luke with his golf game, while giving him some good life lessons. Johnny, a former golfer, offers to give Luke some golf advice, and challenges Luke to spend seven days in Utopia. Luke flees in anger out into the country and finds himself in a small town called Utopia, where he meets a crusty older man named Johnny ( Robert Duvall). Cook draws on his experience as a sports psychologist and uses the many tales he has heard through the years to compile an interesting story.Ī young man named Luke Chisolm ( Lucas Black) loses an important golf tournament, which causes a bitter separation between himself and his father, who serves as Luke’s caddy. Davis, Robert A.Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way walk in it” - Isaiah 30:21. Cook, Jess Stainbrook, Joseph Coors Jr., Ray C. Mathis, Jason Michael BermanĮxecutive producers: David L. Cook, Rob Levine, Matthew Dean Russell, Sandra Thrift, based on the novel “Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia” by David L. But his evident affinity for the material gradually overcomes the programmatic point-making of the storytelling (four writers are credited on the script), allowing the film to eventually find its way and retain its purity of intent.Ĭast: Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, Melissa Leo, Deborah Ann Woll, Brian Geraghty, Joseph Lyle Taylor, Jerry Ferrara, K.J. Matthew Dean Russell, a veteran visual effects hand, overshoots, overcuts and simply tries to hard, especially in the beginning. Baker and Melissa Leo, as the waitress’ mom, are not asked to exhibit a fraction of their talent, but they further class the joint up. Duvall can play an avuncular cowboy sage in his sleep, but there’s truly no one on Earth you’d rather see dishing out homespun aphorisms, so it’s pointless to resist the pleasure of watching him do what he can do better than anyone else.

Choi), prompting the playoff.īlack looks pretty good swinging the clubs and, once he shakes off Luke’s residual bitterness, opens his characterization up with humor and ready accessibility.
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Lessons learned, Luke enters the Texas Open and stuns the golfing world by tying the top player (real-life pro K.J. And, oh yes, the waitress is learning to be a horse whisperer, so material for a sequel is there if warranted. Under Johnny’s tutelage, it’s all as easy as pie in one short week, Luke not only gets his game back but is inspired by example to quit drinking and is shown the way to the Lord in the bargain.

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Like some zen master, former golfer Johnny, who has his own private course, uses unorthodox means to get Luke to relearn the sport from square one, from finding a new grip through inner conviction to discovering how to snatch victory from certain defeat by taking Luke up in a small plane, cutting out the motor and having him figure out how to glide to safety. Ensconced in a deluxe cabin, waited on hand-and-foot by the lady of the house ( Kathy Baker) and immediately admired up and down by the lovely red-haired waitress ( Deborah Ann Woll) at the picture-perfect town cafe, Luke couldn’t be blamed for thinking he might have died and gone to heaven.
