The Long Game

This 2023 independent film, "The Long Game" released by Mucho Mas Media has Latinx star power of celebrity talent from Jay Hernandez to Cheech Marin set in 1950s Texas golf courses. It's directed by Cuban American director, Julian Quintana, born in Los Angeles but is based in Austin Texas.

This is a film adaption about a segregated golf course, surrounding Mexican American teens, who were caddies. Through their mentorship with an older Mexican American, San Felipe School Superintendent and WW II Marine JP Peña (played by Jay Hernandez) created the San Felipe Mustangs high school golf team.

Incidentally, there's a biographical book, "Mustang Miracle" (2012: Author's Press) by Humberto Garcia. The book documented this history that happened in Bordertown Del Rio, Texas (where he was born and raised). This film and Garcia's book chronicle these teens' discrimination in the late 1950s then became champions in teen golf tournaments.

The film also shows the harsh discrimination toward Mexican Americans in Texan borderland towns. Other actors like Dennis Quaid play Frank Mitchell, a white golfer supporter of the San Felipe Mustangs along with Cheech Marin playing as "Pollo", Del Rio golf course attendant. Amidst the younger cast of Latinx actors is Julian Works who brilliantly plays the role of young golfer Joe Trevino.

Just watched the Long Game on Netflix and I'm not sure I've spent much time writing reviews for formulaic 'underdog movies' between 6-7 stars. However, I enjoyed the movie but moreover was blown away at the screen presence of Jay Hernandez who plays the lead. This guy carries, Quaid is a great backup for a movie like this, heck I expect him in every underdog movie, don't you? Story is decent but delivery can be everything sometimes and Jay Hernandez nails it.

I hope he gets a few other big dynamic movie roles because I think he's got it. Maybe not the immediate draw of a Hardy or Dicaprio, but definitely a Clooney.

Hey Hollywood, sign em up!

A superintendent and five high school students set out to show that everyone, even Mexicans, is welcome on the golf course. They start a golf team with a single goal: to win and reach the state championship. Along the way, they face racism and obstacles but do not waver in their goal.

This is an inspirational true story about a group of teenagers and their coaches going against the odds and societal norms. The film has a bit of comedy, emotion, drama, and golf. The film quickly gets to the main parts of the story, sharing details and backstory along the way. The film is not heavy on golf but has enough to keep golf and non-golf fans interested. The film sheds some light on how non-white American soldiers were treated during and after the war, which is eye-opening and heartbreaking. This is a great sports film, regardless of whether you are a golf fan.

"Docudrama" implies to me a certain amount of accuracy.

I would think that making such a point and so many references to the coaches' experience in WWII that someone would have realized a cursory survey of the historical references by someone who was a little bit knowledgeable about the European Theater of Operations would be a worthwhile exercise.

Specifically: Coach Pen~a was shown early in the movie in an Army uniform with a ""Screaming Eagle" patch on his shoulder.

The Screaming Eagles were the 101st Airborne Division ("Band of Brothers").

They are part of the Army and not the Marines.

The Marines didn't fight in the ETO, they were deployed to the Pacific.

The 101st didn't fight at Monte Casino, their first action was Operation Overlord, the Normandy Invasion.

It would take nothing away from the drama of the story to make a few corrections that wouldn't jar the sensibilities of anyone with a passing knowledge of military history.

For as long as there have been movies, the "underdog" niche has been popular. What's not to like about watching someone (or someones) come from behind to show the rest of us that, in the right circumstances, anything is possible? Golf might seem at first like a poor fit for this category, but of course the real story is about discrimination. It works. Jay Hernandez is the glue that keeps the attention of the audience, and he basically steals every scene not otherwise nailed down. Quaid has recently started a "second career" as an older actor playing older parts. And he is good in all of them. The 1950s are a welcome distraction for viewers in an age where modern and now both seem somehow inauthentic and wrong. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))