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.

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.

It was filmed in Utopia, Texas, and Fredericksburg, Texas, and was released in the United States on September 2, 2011 to mixed reviews.

Plot summary
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 finds himself stuck in Utopia, Texas while his car is repaired. He gets wisdom from retired golfer Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall).

After some instruction and guidance, Chisholm reconciles with his overbearing father and enters the Valero Texas Open. He ends up in a playoff with the world's top golfer, T.K. Oh (K. J. Choi).

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
 * Brian Geraghty as Jake
 * Rickie Fowler as himself
 * Stewart Cink as himself
 * Rich Beem as himself

Reception
The film earned mixed reviews from professional critics. 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." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times 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."

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
 * Cook, David Lamar, {https://www.amazon.com/Golfs-Sacred-Journey-Sequel-Utopia/dp/0310349982} "Golf's Sacred Journey, the Sequel: 7 More Days in Utopia"

Articles

 * Snider, Mike, "Q&A: Sports psychologist talks about golf, faith, 'Utopia'", USA Today, August 11, 2009