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Fall is the time of year for inspirational sports dramas—those films that tell an uplifting story about how hard work and determination can make dreams come true. So as summer gives way to fall this Labor Day weekend, it’s the perfect time to settle in with the family to watch an easy-going inspirational drama like Seven Days in Utopia.
Luke Chisholm (Lucas Black) has dedicated his entire life to golf. Ever since he was young, his father (Joseph Lyle Taylor) pushed him to be the very best. But, just as he’s about to break out onto the pro scene, everything starts to collapse around him, and a missed shot makes him lose his focus—and his cool. Frustrated and embarrassed, he races off to be alone.
On a back road in the middle of nowhere, Luke swerves to avoid hitting a cow and crashes his car in a pasture. He ends up stuck in Utopia, Texas—a tiny town where the locals immediately welcome him as one of their own. As he waits for his car to be fixed, he’s taken in by Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall), a rancher with a past in the PGA, who spends a week teaching Luke about both golf and life.
Seven Days in Utopia tells a familiar story—think The Karate Kid or even Pixar’s original Cars. But this G-rated drama adds something extra: subtle touches of faith-based messages that ground the film without weighing it down.
As you might expect, the film does tend to get a bit preachy toward the end, as it seeks to get its point across. Compared with other faith-based films, though, it keeps the preaching to a minimum. It isn’t a super-serious, 90-minute sermon that repeatedly crams its message down your throat—which can be exhausting even for those of us who agree with the message. Instead, it’s just a light and enjoyable film about friendship, focus, and golf—with a few small reminders about what’s really important in life.
The story is as laid-back as a small-town Sunday afternoon, with plenty of easy-going humor, a few touches of blossoming romance, and a charming setting that helps to give it a warm and pleasantly folksy feel. The big-name cast, meanwhile, keeps it entertaining. Though Black is often rather wooden in the lead role, Duvall is lovably crusty as Luke’s eccentric old mentor, and Kathy Baker shines in her small role as the town’s no-nonsense innkeeper.
Seven Days in Utopia may not offer anything especially new or surprising, but it’s the kind of movie that audiences can’t help but love: a sweet and heartfelt drama about finding friendship and inspiration where you least expect it—just when you need it the most.
