Toward the end, the film gets a little slow, and the final golf tournament isn’t quite as exciting as other sports films of this genre, but, like the others, where you know what will happen in the end, you will enjoy the journey getting there. The final montage sequence is backed by a beautiful song, “Born Again,” by contemporary Christian recording artist Mac Powell. The musical score (by composer Klaus Badelt) is very engaging and well done, as is the cinematography of the golf courses and other Texas locations. Also, the product placement is noticeably prolific. Viewers have to look past some rather unbelievable scenes, like Luke painting a picture better than would be expected of most amateurs and riding a horse like he’s ridden one all his life. Some of the filming is a bit choppy, including several flashbacks that aren’t really needed, but all-in-all the heart of the story is a good one. Deborah Ann Woll and the other supporting characters do very well, oftentimes despite small roles in the story. Duvall plays his usual crusty, no-nonsense character and Lucas Black is very expressive, both when he’s happy and smiles a crooked smile, and when he’s agonizing over his life. Lucas Black and Robert Duvall turn in excellent performances. As Luke and Martin both own up to their failures and mend their relationship, we see clearly that “ Love never fails” ( 1 Corinthians 13:8). Martin’s parallel life struggle is not shown, but is insinuated vaguely at the end of the film. “ Fathers, do not exasperate your children.” Luke’s father, Martin, played somewhat weakly (and with a little too much mumbling) by Joseph Lyle Taylor, has to deal with his own shortcomings as a father, and the fact that he often pushes Luke too hard. He finds he can forgive his father, as Jesus admonishes in Matthew 6:14-15 and in the other three gospels and which Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:13. After spending his seven days in Utopia, Luke’s life is dramatically changed. The townsfolk, including pretty Sarah (Deborah Ann Woll), adopt Luke, and offer many friendly words of wisdom. Johnny uses some eccentric methods to help Luke with his golf game, while giving him some good life lessons. Johnny, a former golfer, offers to give Luke some golf advice, and challenges Luke to spend seven days in Utopia. Luke flees in anger out into the country and finds himself in a small town called Utopia, where he meets a crusty older man named Johnny ( Robert Duvall). Cook draws on his experience as a sports psychologist and uses the many tales he has heard through the years to compile an interesting story.Ī young man named Luke Chisolm ( Lucas Black) loses an important golf tournament, which causes a bitter separation between himself and his father, who serves as Luke’s caddy. Cook), I can't report on the faithfulness of the screenplay, but it barrels along on the well-oiled wheels of cliche.Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way walk in it” - Isaiah 30:21. Having never read the source material ("Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia," by sports psychologist David L. "Seven Days in Utopia," directed by Matthew Dean Russell, is an undeniably pretty film. What happens in the course of those seven days? Lots of wax-on-wax-off instruction on everything but golf (painting, fly-fishing, flying in general) and lots of occasions for Duvall to intone the truths of an honest game. "Spend seven days with me in Utopia, you'll find your game," says the old fella. What's more, it has to be full of kindhearted small-town folk who know a thing or two about living right and thanking God and winning (or not) at golf. Of course, the name of the town is Utopia. Turns out the wise old fella is something of a Golf Whisperer: He peers inside the broken heart of the exasperated youngster and understands all that ails him. The protagonist for "Seven Days in Utopia" is an angry young fella (Lucas Black) who has a well-publicized meltdown on the last hole of a Texas golf tournament, then crashes through the fence of a wise old fella (Robert Duvall) on the drive home. Instead of an ending, we're given the address for a website that promises to divulge the movie's outcome, presumably in a mist of heady spiritual revelation. Then it cuts away at the pivotal moment that's normally the life's blood of inspirational sports dramas - and becomes something vastly more obnoxious. Until its final seconds, "Seven Days in Utopia" is just a piece of gee-whiz, G-rated, nicely shot evangelism outfitted as a golf movie.
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