Seven Days in Utopia

Seven Days in Utopia is a 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.

In the movie version, 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 gets wisdom from Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall). After some instruction and guidance, Chisholm enters the Valero Texas Open, where he ends up in a playoff with the world's top golfer, T.K. Oh (K.J. Choi).

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

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
 * Rickie Fowler as Himself
 * Stewart Cink as Himself
 * Rich Beem as Himself

Reception
Conservative publications provided mixed reviews. The New York Post gave the film two out of four stars and claimed that "it goes down more smoothly than you'd imagine" thanks to Duvall's performance and an "excellent supporting cast." 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."

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

Articles

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