The Long Game

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.

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!

I enjoyed this movie. I was predisposed to because of the parallels in my own life in the 1950s in a small southern town. The nearest golf course was 30 miles away so I built my own clubs from old broom sticks and pieces of 2X4 lumber. I built a small course in our long back yard. At one point my dad bought me a 9-iron and a few real balls. Finally in 1962 I made it to the course, I played with a borrowed set of clubs, it was the beginning of 60+ years of golf for me.

So these rural Texas kids, of Mexican parents, had a similar affinity for the game. Five of them worked as caddies at the local "whites only" country club. But they wanted to play the game so they spent leisure time crafting their own rough golf course, using balls they scavenged after hours and discarded golf clubs.

A new school superintendent who loved golf showed up for the new school year, he too of Mexican ancestry, found out about the five boys, and began the quest to form them into real golfers. Plus dealing with the racism of the time and overcoming it to grow into fine young men.

While the characters and the story are true the screenplay was built from a book written after extensive research and interviews. So it is authentic to the real 1950s story but of course includes fictionalized scenes and dialog to make it an entertaining movie. Much of the movie was shot in the nearby towns of Smithville and Bastrop in the areas west of Houston.

It is a well-crafted and entertaining movie. My wife and I, both avid golfers, enjoyed it, streaming at home.

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))

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.