Seven Days in Utopia (2011)

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

OK when the song was about born again...I know that this movie is about born again Christians...finding your faith and all that.Till than I didn't quite realize it and actually enjoyed it for lazy Sunday afternoon movie. Like another reviewer mentioned....I was blindsided by this.I am happy he has found his faith and others do too. Glad for it. But please don't push it in my face or when doing it at least be open about it.To me it felt like watching the birdcage and having it described as a family film/musical drama.Anyway i think if you are a Christian ...this must be one of the best ever Christian sports movies ever.

Netflix often throws up some good to great films I haven't heard of. God Bless America, Headhunters, Hacchi. Films worth taking a chance on when they're right there in front of you. Then of course there's the flip side. The films you wish you hadn't stumbled across. Guess which category this belongs in?To be fair Seven Days starts out not too badly. It seems a harmless, if quaint, little film about a stranded golfer. Now, I was happy to overlook the absurdity of anyone, let alone a professional golfer, being stranded for a week because of a broken car. They could surely have imagined a better reason for him staying but hey ho. We'll let that one slide. Seven Days has quite a few flaws. The first one is the utterly charmless performance of the lead, Lucas Black. Don't hover on the name. I'm doubting we'll be seeing much of this fella. His vacant performance makes him impossible to empathise with and in one fell swoop I'm out of the movie. But wait! The great Robert Duvall is in it. Surely he can save it? Em, no. Poor Robert Duvall. He looks bored stiff and who can blame him? Acting alongside captain charisma must have been an absolute chore. Ergo Mr Duvall phones in such a sleepy performance it had me questioning whether he was actually ill and loaded up on meds.So we have a dullard as leading man and a half asleep Mr Duvall. What next? How about cookie cutter supporting characters with such endearing hearts and spirits you wonder if any such place on earth can possibly exist. Then of course the movie reveals it's TRUE intentions. It's not really about golf. Or sport. Or anything for that matter. Why, it's all about the good LORD and how if you follow his will you TOO can be as infallible and loving as these kind folks. The equally awful Book Of Eli pulled a similar stunt.What absolute nonsense. At least when it was boring it wasn't being offensive. The last half hour though is borderline insulting. Now I suspected, even early on, there was some religious allegory in the movie. I can accept that. Sleight of hand preaching though in a film dressed up as a sporting drama? Shame on the makers. Even more shame on the disgraceful plug for some preachy website at the end. An unforgivable slice of opportunism, even for religious zealots.Even had Seven Days in Utopia stayed the course as a golfing drama it would have struggled to get out of first gear and remained a 3 star film. It has dull acting, entirely unbelievable characters and far too many clichés to be listed. Doc Hollywood anyone? The religious turn it takes however hammers it firmly into the 1 star category. No Utopia here. Just movie hell.

I usually get my movies from the public library where the pickings can be slim, so when I get the chance to grab a movie starring Robert Duval I don't pass it up. It is hard to believe he has won only one Oscar. Once again, as in The Disciple, among others, Mr. Duval appears among a stellar ensemble who don't appear to be stars at all, just natural actors. The story centers around Lucas Black's character, a young golfer, and the ranch(Utopia)run by Duval he goes to for reflection/meditation after a devastating loss. While there he meets the locals and receives life lessons from ex-golfer Duval. Prior to picking up the film I didn't pay attention to it's G rating; it was a Duval film so I didn't care. All the actors are superb and their characters true and interesting. The ending is a surprise. Watch it. By the way, Lucas Black is a super actor. I had a hard time placing him at first; his accent kept nagging at me. Then I realized it was the kid from Sling Blade all grown up. He turned out to be a good looking guy with a natural talent and charm. I highly recommend this film although as I said I was not really prepared for the ending.

As an avid viewer of cinema, I decided to watch "Seven Days in Utopia" on Netflix. I thought it was boring in itself, but the message of "see, feel, trust" is really useful in life. Also, it was a slightly entertaining deja-vu of 'The Karate Kid" (from the 1980s) and "Cars". My biggest gripe about the movie was that it left everyone wondering if he made the putt, and the narrator saying it didn't matter. Also, the studio set up didhemaketheputt.com as if the movie was based on a true story.Overall, this movie was going to deserve a 7/10 for the valuable Christian message embedded in it, but got a 6/10 for the cheesy relationship between two of the main characters. If you like movies with Christian messages, such as "Letters to God" and "Fireproof", you will love this movie.