8/24/2023 0 Comments Seven days in utopia book summary![]() ![]() Overall, Russell doesn’t exhibit much patience or trust. When he wants to convey emotional turmoil, first-time director and co-screenwriter Matthew Russell resorts to quick edits, and he’s overly fond of flashbacks, particularly when illustrating Luke’s relationship with his domineering father (a subplot absent from the book). (See her character’s discourse on fireflies and freedom.) ![]() Melissa Leo and Kathy Baker have small roles as supportive womenfolk, while Deborah Ann Woll is asked to carry the movie’s most lachrymose water as Luke’s love interest. The likeable Black’s real-life golfing prowess boosts the film’s authenticity and Duvall effortlessly embodies the folksy sage, an ex-pro who’s overcome adversity with the help of the Head Pro Upstairs. Choi, another devout Christian, who portrays a dominant tour player. It had the backing of the PGA Tour and The Golf Channel, and a number of pros appear, most significantly Korean golfer K. "Seven Days in Utopia" is serviceable from a production standpoint. Trust it.” Its utility will soon be demonstrated, yet not before Luke experiences a religious epiphany (and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it baptism) on the seventh day after “burying old lies” in Utopia’s cemetery. ![]() Johnny boils his week-long tutorial down to the mantra, “See it. On the fifth day, Luke and Johnny take to the sky in a small plane, and by day six the student is ready to hit the links armed with a set of antique clubs. A day spent fly-fishing underscores the need for emotional control and finding “rhythm, balance and patience.” An exercise involving oil paints enables Luke to properly visualize his golf shots and he's introduced to an unorthodox, face-on putting technique. First, Luke learns the importance of having total conviction regarding every choice, starting with how he grips the club. Turns out, the old guy knows heaps about golf-and about what can ail a man more generally. Johnny doesn’t mention the salvific side of the bargain still, a revolution within Luke’s soul does occur in the tranquil, supportive confines of this idyllic community. A rancher named Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall) appears on horseback with a proposition: spend a week in Utopia and you will get your game back. Following this well-publicized collapse, Luke crashes his car into a field outside Utopia (population 350), an actual town in the Texas Hill Country. Aspiring PGA Tour golfer Luke Chisolm (Lucas Black) melts down while leading a key qualifying event, carding a 14 on a par 4 and watching his caddy/father/coach walk off the course in disgust. There’s scant mention of God or Jesus, and no specific denomination is championed. It is further evidence that proselytizing and popular entertainment rarely mix well nowadays.Īlthough it begins by citing Isaiah 30:21, the movie never adopts a preachy tone or any fire-and-brimstone rhetorical tactics. However, in addition to stumbling evangelically, the picture underperforms artistically. A few swings might be fixed along the way. On screen as on the page, Seven Days in Utopia is about a fictional golfer’s redemption it also seeks to convert those who haven’t embraced Christ as their savior. Cook published a combination instruction manual, ode to mentorship and spiritual tract titled “Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia.” Not without cause, the recently released film version of the book will be dismissed as country-club-meets-Bible-Belt hooey by viewers with no stake in the game or Cook’s Christian outlook. A partial list includes Champtions Tour (for "seniors" 50 and over) notables Tom Lehman, Bernhard Langer, Corey Pavin and Scott Simpson, plus young guns like Ricky Fowler, Bubba Watson and Aaron Baddeley. And while God is no stranger to NFL huddles or NASCAR’s pit row, the best evidence of golf’s theological fecundity may be the high percentage of professional players who are born-again Christians. Success appears to stem from a mystical connection between player and course. As every weekend duffer knows, the game unleashes fierce mental demons. With the possible exception of baseball, no sport is more amenable to religious interpretation than golf.
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