Seven Days in Utopia
| Seven Days in Utopia | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Matt Russell |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by David L. Cook |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | M. David Mullen |
| Edited by | Robert Kamatsu |
| Music by |
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Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7.5 million |
| Box office | $4.4 million[1] |
Seven Days in Utopia is a 2011 American Christian sports drama film directed by Matt Russell, starring Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, and Melissa Leo.
The film is based on the book Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by Dr. David Lamar Cook, a psychologist who received a Ph.D. in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Virginia.[2]
It was filmed in Utopia, Texas, and Fredericksburg, Texas, and was released in the United States on September 2, 2011 to mixed reviews.
Plot summary
[edit]Lucas Black plays Luke Chisholm, a young professional golfer who has a meltdown during a tournament. After shooting 80 in the final round, Chisholm crashes his car into a fence and finds himself stuck in Utopia, Texas while his car is repaired. He gets wisdom from retired golfer Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall).
After some instruction and guidance, Chisholm reconciles with his overbearing father and enters the Valero Texas Open. He ends up in a playoff with the world's top golfer, T.K. Oh (K. J. Choi).
Cast
[edit]- Robert Duvall as Johnny Crawford
- Lucas Black as Luke Chisholm
- Melissa Leo as Lily
- K. J. Choi as T.K. Oh
- Kelly Tilghman as Golf Channel Reporter / Analyst
- Brandel Chamblee as Golf Channel Reporter / Analyst
- Deborah Ann Woll as Sarah
- Brian Geraghty as Jake
- Rickie Fowler as himself
- Stewart Cink as himself
- Rich Beem as himself
Reception
[edit]The film earned mixed reviews from professional critics. The Arizona Republic described Seven Days as "utterly predictable" and "bland," but also praised Duvall, who "has to be great here just to keep the movie afloat."[3] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one star out of four, writing "I would rather eat a golf ball than see this movie again" and, of Duvall, "Only a great actor could give such a bad performance."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Seven Days in Utopia". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ "Bio: Dr. David L. Cook", Zondervan Publishing.
- ^ Goodykoontz, Bill (September 1, 2011). "Seven Days in Utopia". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (August 31, 2011). "Seven Days in Utopia". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
Further reading
[edit]Books
[edit]- Cook, David Lamar, Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2009. ISBN 978-0-310-31885-9
- Cook, David Lamar, {https://www.amazon.com/Golfs-Sacred-Journey-Sequel-Utopia/dp/0310349982} "Golf's Sacred Journey, the Sequel: 7 More Days in Utopia"
Articles
[edit]- Snider, Mike, "Q&A: Sports psychologist talks about golf, faith, 'Utopia'", USA Today, August 11, 2009
