Review: Seven Days in Utopia

Review: Seven Days in Utopia

Rating: **

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 9/2/11 Release Date

Audience:

I attended a screening of Seven Days in Utopia on August 4. Pastors and church leaders were invited. All I knew was that the film starred Robert Duvall (Johnny Crawford), Melissa Leo (Lily), and Kathy Baker (they're reason enough to attend) -- and that it was about golf. The acting was excellent. Duvall, as always, gave a subtle, nuanced performance. Leo and Baker did their best with mediocre material. Lucas Black, who plays a young golfer who has recently experienced a competitive meltdown, held his own with these stars and managed to be endearingly charming.

But the story just didn't work for me. Too formulaic, too similar to films like Bull Durham, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and Karate Kid; i.e., promising young athlete receives invaluable instruction from wise, seasoned veteran. Also, Lucas Black's character (Luke Chisholm) transforms effortlessly in a matter of seconds from a total jerk having a meltdown to a pleasant, humble guy willing to go along with Duvall's eccentric tutorial. Pretty unbelievable -- as was his all too easy reconciliation with his controlling father/caddy at the end of the film.

Finally, the movie was being promoted as a "Christian film"; however, I thought the Christian elements were tangential and included praying before meals, going to church, and generally being very kind and respectful to one another. Nothing to complain about, but the heart of the movie really is Johnny Crawford's seven step process to self-mastery (here applied to golf) which is more standard self-help fare than a Christian-based rule of life .

Instead of paying to see this film, rent Bull Durham.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it