Movie Review: 'The Long Game'

Motoring along a Texas country road, the driver’s window suddenly shatters leaving broken glass and a golf ball on the driver’s lap. JB Peña (Jay Hernandez) moves his car to the shoulder and jumps out. On the ridge above he sees four high schoolers scampering away. The fifth one, wearing blue jeans and a red jacket, remains in plain sight. He too runs off when he sees JB climbing the hill where the five just stood.

At the top of the ridge JB finds a curious sight – a rudimentary tee box. Off in the distance is a rugged green and sand trap. Could the young boys have been playing golf, he wonders?

The reason that question popped into his mind is golf is his passion. He’s just accepted the position as superintendent of schools in Del Rio, Texas, and one perk for him is the local prestigious Del Rio Country Club. The all-white club he plans to join. To introduce JB to the club’s director is Frank Mitchell (Dennis Quaid), a champion golfer himself and his long-time friend and mentor.

His membership request is rejected as the club does not allow Mexican American members. He is welcome to play the course as a guest, but not a member. Even Frank can’t help him with that decision.

The principal of the local high school welcomes JB at the entrance to the school and escorts him to the gym where he will be introduced and speak to the student body. The group is not at all interested in what JB has to say – especially a group of five who sit snickering to one another. JB notices the group and one boy in particular, the one wearing blue jeans and a red jacket.

He orders the five boys to the principal’s office where he plans to discipline them. He changes his mind when he discovers they too have a passion for golf, have created their own course and work as caddies at the Del Rio. He decides not to punish them but offer them an opportunity.

In lieu of school suspension, JB assigns them community service – reconstruct and improve their private golf course. Once completed, he then tells them to practice, practice, practice their golf skills and compete in the 1957 Texas golf championships.

Reluctantly Frank agrees to be their coach as he was with JB in years past. Initially, not only is Frank not happy about the plan, but neither is one of the boys, Joe (Julian Works) – the window breaker. He caddies at the club and has endured too much demeaning prejudice from the white members and won’t expose himself or his friends to more poison. He later changes his mind.

The work on their course begins each Saturday morning and the golf training takes place during the day. Sometimes the now seven-member Mustangs team sneaks onto the Del Rio course to train at night. They improve to the point that they’re ready to enter the competition – much to the chagrin of the other competitors and the directorate of the competition.

The day of the competition arrives and the Mustangs, with combed hair and shirts tucked in, pass through the clubhouse toward the course. Later in the day the Del Rio members frown as the boys pass through the building on their way out the door.

Directed by Julio Quintana (Credits: Blue Miracle, The Vessel), The Long Game runs 112 minutes and is a “should see” for an inspiring true story that initiated changes in racial discrimination and attitudes toward minorities in the mid-50s – at least in Del Rio, Texas.