Plot: What’s it about?
Sometimes opportunities arise where free showings of movies become available locally. I bring this up as our subject at hand: The Long Game is one such case. I was invited to attend a free showing of this film, and this might not have been something that I would’ve seen otherwise. That isn’t to say that the film didn’t look appealing on some level, but I am not a particular sports fan, much less golf. Much to my surprise, however, the film turned out to be quite enjoyable and made a strong impression on me. Jay Hernandez does a great job here in the lead as the teacher turned coach in this fact-based film.
In what can’t be more of an underdog story, the film takes place in 1956 in Texas where we meet JB (Jay Hernandez) who is to begin a job as superintendent at a local High School. We see JB also has hopes of getting into an elite Golf Club with the aid of his war buddy and friend, Frank (Dennis Quaid). Frank is also a Golf pro. Unfortunately, JB’s car window breaks, and he gets hit in the head on his way to the meeting. It isn’t long before he discovers the kids who had a role in it. They didn’t mean trouble; it was simply a bet to see if one of the players could hit the ball that far. The five American boys are Gene (Gregory Diaz IV), Lupe (Jose Julian), Felipe (Miguel Angel Garcia), Mario (Christian Gallegos) and Joe (Julian Works) even though he is reluctant at first. JB offers them a choice of either joining the Golf team or doing yard work to compensate for his broken car window. While not all the kids are given adequate screentime, we do get to know some of them better than most. What plays a big role here is the prejudice that these kids must face as they’re constantly looked down on simply because of their ethnicity.
The Long Game is filled with many of the things one can expect from sports films, but what’s elevated here, I think, is the heart and sincerity of the story. Nothing feels unearned or inauthentic because it’s treated with such care. Dennis Quaid does fine work as well, and the same can be said of the entire cast who fill their respective roles wonderfully. The story only lags a bit in the second half, but I was staying with it during the entire run time. It makes for one of the better underdog stories involving sports. Check it out.
The Bottom Line
Maybe I was just in the right mood, but The Long Game really worked for me. While it doesn’t avoid sports cliches, it has such a heart and sincerity to it that I bought into it. The cast add to the material, the Texas setting really acts as a second character, and seeing the characters face the harsh reactions from the locals was authentic and effective. Recomended.
