![]() 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. 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. ![]() 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. The movie's general message that winning is never more important than what's in your heart is a wonderful lesson for all budding athletes, but the delivery is too heavy-handed.And Utopia it quickly seems to be. Painting and fly-fishing are one thing, but flying a plane? No. Miyagi-ish mentor is quite amusing, although possibly unintentionally so - as in the scene when Johnny ludicrously allows Luke to take the controls of a small airplane as it begins to plummet through the air. On the bright side, the cinematography is lovely (lush greens and blues), Black never looks awkward swinging a golf club, and the soundtrack features a memorable selection of contemporary Christian tunes. Not to mention that golf isn't the most exciting sport to begin with, so there's a generally soporific tone to the entire endeavor. It's the movie's Cars-meets- Karate Kid-via-Sunday School plot that drags it down. It's not the actors - the cast boasts two Academy Award winners (Duvall and Melissa Leo), plus Black, Hurt Locker vet Brian Geraghty, True Bloodvamp Deborah Ann Woll, and Emmy winner Kathy Baker. But there's a line between inspiring and evangelizing, between moving and cheesy, and this golf drama crosses completely over into eye-rolling territory. There's nothing wrong with an inspiring sports movie some of the best in the genre - Hoosiers, Remember the Titans, Miracle - are classics that families will be watching together for generations. The acting is so good here, it's a shame the message misses its mark.
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