Seven Days in Utopia

It's been my experience that 'inspirational films' have had the tendency to be somewhat sappy, with poor production values and not very good acting. With the exception of this year's "Soul Surfer", which was an incredibly good inspirational film, the same also can be said for "Seven Days in Utopia".

After a disasterous debut on the pro circuit, a young golfer, Luke Chisholm (Lucas Black) ends up having a meltdown right on camera. As he is traveling, he inadvertently finds himself stranded in Utopia, Texas. He is welcomed by an eccentric rancher by the name of Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall) who, after Luke looks in his study, finds out that Johnny was also a golfer. Johnny proposes to Luke that if he stays in Utopia for seven days, he'll help him find his game back again. Luke reluctantly agrees and he is beseiged with unorthodox and quirky ways that Johnny comes up with to achieve this feat.

Others to round out the cast are Melissa Leo as Lily, Deborah Ann Woll as Sarah, Brian Geraghty as Jake, Joseph Lyle Taylor as Martin Chisholm, Luke's Dad, Madison Burge as Hannah Chisholm, Luke's Mom, Jerry Ferrara as Joe Buckner, K.J.Choi as T.K. Oh, pro golfer, and Diane Baker as Mabel.

This was deftly directed by virtual newcomer Matthew Dean Russell. This guy has done a bunch of visual work to his credit, but this being his first, he will surely see future projects. It was written by David L. Cook, Rob Levine and Russell based on Cook's novel, "Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia". It truly helps to have the novelist as, at least, one of the screenwriters. He knows all the nuances of the characters and the setting of the story, etc. Of course, it does hurt to have the likes of Duvall in the title role either. It is a joy to watch Duvall act. In fact, the chemistry between Duvall and Black was incredibly effective. And the fact that Black is a golfer in his own right made it even more convincing.

This is a film that is about failure, challenge, learning and redemption all rolled up in a 99 minute running time. It will make you laugh and root for Luke, especially considering what Johnny puts him through, and have you cheering by film's end.

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                      Rated: G                        99min.