IMDb RATING
6.7/10
7.8K
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In 1955, five young Mexican-American caddies, out of the love for the game, were determined to learn how to play, so they created their own golf course in the middle of the South Texas deser... Read allIn 1955, five young Mexican-American caddies, out of the love for the game, were determined to learn how to play, so they created their own golf course in the middle of the South Texas desert.In 1955, five young Mexican-American caddies, out of the love for the game, were determined to learn how to play, so they created their own golf course in the middle of the South Texas desert.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 2 nominations total
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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.
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.
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.
The Long Game is based on true events of a group of Mexican American caddies who are set out to learn the sport of golf. In 1956, South Texas region the boys create their own course because they are not welcome on the same course as white golfers. Jay Hernandez plays the superintendent of the local school district and he takes the kids under his wing along with Dennis Quaid to help nurture them into fine golfers and to compete against all the other golfers. Oscar Nunez acts as the principal of the high school, Cheech Marin as the groundskeeper, Jaina Lee Ortiz and Gillian Vignam are the spousal support system for the boys and Brett Cullen as the local judge who disallows the boys to compete on his grounds. This movie was the Field Of Dreams type of feel good film but for golf. The boys did win the championship in 1957 and some of them went on to compete in the PGA. Overall it was a good family movie, I would recommend it.
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))
"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.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaThe team was inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame in Laredo, Texas, for their commitment to the sport and breaking barriers. They also joined the National Hispanic Heritage Hall of Honor. For their perseverance and love of the sport, the five members of the Mustangs had their story memorialized on both page and screen. The Long Game highlights the trials and tribulations of the team during high school, who all went on to lead engaging lives in public service after their time at San Felipe High School.
- GoofsAmerican flag with fifty stars shown in two scenes early in the movie. This story happened in 1956, when the U.S. flag only had 48 stars, as Hawaii and Alaska did not become states until 1959.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- 全力揮擊
- Filming locations
- Colombia(on location)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $3,060,040
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,300,398
- Apr 14, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $3,060,040
- Runtime
- 1h 52m(112 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.00 : 1
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