The Long Game

I could have told you the story after 5 minutes. The familiar story of prejudice discrimination and the underdog. I almost turned off so full of cliches and nothing new. Very Hollywood commercial. I did finish and enjoyed but not original or above average. Discrimination of Mexicans. Lots of hateful people trying to keep Mexicans out of golf tournaments and anything other than subservient positions. Characters realistic and likable. If you need easy mindless entertainment this is it. If you want something more, find an alternative since so many. The world still fractured. People still need to exercise their power over orhers.

It's 1956 Del Rio, Texas. JB Peña (Jay Hernandez) is the new principal at San Felipe High School which serves mostly local Mexican-American kids. His mentor Frank Mitchell (Dennis Quaid) tries to get him into the exclusive country club, but they reject him as a member. At the school, he encounters five teenagers who are caddies at the club, but would never be allowed to play there. He decides to form a high school golf team with those kids.

This is the standard underdog sports movie with a whole lot of social commentary. It is a little long and a little slow around the middle. Although I wouldn't know what to cut. It is trying to say a lot with a lot of characters. I do wonder about the climatic arrest. It's too convenient to happen at that moment and feels manufactured. Maybe it actually happened. This movie just needs a little less, but it's plenty good.

This is a wonderful family indie film. The second half of the movie is worthy of an Oscar. I laughed, I cried two or three times, had goosebumps, and really enjoyed the story. My only comment is it has a bit of a slow burn set up but it was still totally entertaining throughout. It was extremely well shot and directed, and oh by the way Cheech is a gem! I wish he had more lines he's such a natural. Actually my teenagers really enjoyed it too.

Finally; Although the setting is 1950's The Long Game still feels very current and topical in today's political environment. Cheers to a great team for pulling this off, I enjoyed it just as much if not more the second time I saw it!

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!

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))