dedawson-82561
Joined Jul 2016
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dedawson-82561's rating
If you sit through all episodes, there are a few violent scenes for fans of violence. There are a few steamy scenes for fans of sex. There are strained family ties for soap opera purposes. And for boat lovers, you'll find on-water action. Aside from that, the six episodes plod along a plot that is one the one hand, trite: Rich resort family runs aground and turns to crime. On the other hand, crime fighting in the town appears inconceivably dense and crime commission by the family seems incredibly stupid. To be fair, the story improves in the last couple of episodes and the acting by the patriarch and prime villain is pretty good. If you can't find anything to watch.
There's a rule in the retail world that if you want to merchandise a hat, a book, a towel or a dead rat, just call it a golf accessory and you're in business. That seems to be the force that brings us this thin series. The formula of veteran athlete helping disadvantaged kid succeed in sport can be applied to tennis, boxing, running, martial arts, baseball and more. The recent movie "The Long Game" about Mexican-American kids starting a school golf team is a good example, one based on a true story. In this case, Owen Wilson and Marc Maron could have been chess experts or bowling stars and told much the same story as this series does. Putting a "golf" sticker on it could, according to the old rule, make it more successful. Through the first few episodes, there's not a lot of deep golf-specific material. Wilson plays the sad sack role well and as does Maron as the wizened sidekick. The kid is attractive and there's some romance starting up, but the golf part is mainly a way to put the ensemble on the road. Nothing wrong with a feel-good little series, but that's what it is.
The problem with making an entertaining, comedic film based on a true, heartwarming story is that you mustn't offend the real people involved. This production followed that rule and the result was neither funny nor deep. The writing is a collection of Italian-American traditions and classic entrepreneurial hardship, with a teensy sprinkle of love interest. There are neither laughs nor tears. It would have been great to see creative writing and real tension in the film, but that would have unfair to the founder and supporters of the real restaurant at the heart of the story. As result, the fine cast more or less tiptoes on the edge of making a really good product.