Seven Days in Utopia
Seven Days in Utopia is a 2011 American Christian sports drama film directed by Matt Russell, starring Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, and Melissa Leo.
Seven Days in Utopia | |
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Directed by | Matt Russell |
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Written by |
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Based on | Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by David L. Cook |
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Music by |
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Cinematography | M. David Mullen |
Edited by | Robert Kamatsu |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $7.5 million |
Box office | $4.4 million[1] |
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]
In the movie version, 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 gets wisdom from Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall). After some instruction and guidance, Chisholm enters the Valero Texas Open, where he ends up in a playoff with the world's top golfer, T.K. Oh (K.J. Choi).
It was filmed in Utopia, Texas, and Fredericksburg, Texas, and was released on September 2, 2011 in the United States.
Cast
- 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
- Rickie Fowler as Himself
- Stewart Cink as Himself
- Rich Beem as Himself
Reception
Conservative publications provided mixed reviews. The New York Post gave the film two out of four stars and claimed that "it goes down more smoothly than you'd imagine" thanks to Duvall's performance and an "excellent supporting cast."[3] 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."[4] Roger Ebert 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."[5]
References
- "Seven Days in Utopia". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- "Bio: Dr. David L. Cook", Zondervan Publishing.
- Lumenick, Lou (September 1, 2011). "Seven Days in Utopia". New York Post. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- 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
Books
- Cook, David Lamar, Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2009. ISBN 978-0-310-31885-9
Articles
- Snider, Mike, "Q&A: Sports psychologist talks about golf, faith, 'Utopia'", USA Today, August 11, 2009