The Long Game

The Long Game

In a segregated Texas, five Mexican-American teenage caddies were prohibited from playing at the country club where they worked. Against all odds, they formed their own team, built a one-hole course in the fields, and won the 1957 Texas State championship. Based on a true story.

  • Released: 2023-03-12
  • Runtime: 106 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, Family
  • Stars: Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Julian Works, Cheech Marin, Brett Cullen, Oscar Nunez, Richard Robichaux, Miguel Ángel García, Gregory Diaz IV, Paulina Chávez, José Julián, Christian Gallegos, Gillian Vigman, Jimmy Gonzales, Michael Southworth, Mykle McCoslin, Heather Kafka
  • Director: Julio Quintana
 Comments
  • tomsawyer-01858 - 14 May 2024
    Just love it
    I am a non-golfer.

    I never played, and I never will.

    It is from my point of view not a real sport.

    Like pool, snooker it is a boring ball game, not enough physical and mental action, no real confrontations. I prefer sports like Tennis, or better football (soccer for you US people)

    But the movie is not. It is about passionate young and elder people, trying to find their way through the obstacles mostly unfair of life.

    It has a lot of very very nice, emotionally intelligent little scenes about wisdom and effect of our decisions and actions.

    I can't emphasize enough how well these scenes are made.

    So many characters well drawn. The director Julio Quintana born in the USA after her parents left Cuba shows he feels how Mexican immigrants felt. Not anymore Mexicans and yet not real Americans.

    No-man's-land..

    I specially liked the symbolism in the scene were a golfers girlfriend explains how she intends to become a writer by already writing now shorts stories of peoples daily life. Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.

    Actors are all great, but I fell for Jaina Lee Ortiz.

    It is a men sports, is it not still today?

    She is not even mentioned on the cover, standing far in the back.

    What a shame, She did not have too many words to say, so she made her presence mainly by her very subtle body and face expressions. Nevertheless she played a strong female character.

    She has great potential, and I hope we see more of her anytime soon.
  • babyjaguar - 16 April 2024
    THE LONG GAME: 50s MEXICAN AMERICAN YOUTH OCCUPIED THE GOLF COURSE
    This 2023 independent film, "The Long Game" released by Mucho Mas Media has Latinx star power of celebrity talent from Jay Hernandez to Cheech Marin set in 1950s Texas golf courses. It's directed by Cuban American director, Julian Quintana, born in Los Angeles but is based in Austin Texas.

    This is a film adaption about a segregated golf course, surrounding Mexican American teens, who were caddies. Through their mentorship with an older Mexican American, San Felipe School Superintendent and WW II Marine JP Peña (played by Jay Hernandez) created the San Felipe Mustangs high school golf team.

    Incidentally, there's a biographical book, "Mustang Miracle" (2012: Author's Press) by Humberto Garcia. The book documented this history that happened in Bordertown Del Rio, Texas (where he was born and raised). This film and Garcia's book chronicle these teens' discrimination in the late 1950s then became champions in teen golf tournaments.

    The film also shows the harsh discrimination toward Mexican Americans in Texan borderland towns. Other actors like Dennis Quaid play Frank Mitchell, a white golfer supporter of the San Felipe Mustangs along with Cheech Marin playing as "Pollo", Del Rio golf course attendant. Amidst the younger cast of Latinx actors is Julian Works who brilliantly plays the role of young golfer Joe Trevino.