The Long Game | SXSW 2023 Film Review

In The Long Game, it is 1956 and golf is consuming the nation. It is also a game that brings with it an air of respect from others for those who play it exceptionally well. If you can join an upscale country club AND excel at the game? The sky’s the limit for your career and reputation. Unfortunately for JB Pena (Jay Hernandez) – a school superintendent new to Del Rio, TX – those in charge have no interest in allowing a Latino in 1950s Texas a shot at the clubhouse.

Membership at this particular club is reserved for the elites, and JB is desperate to demonstrate that both he and his culture deserves a seat at the proverbial table. When he observes a group of young Latino caddies (led by Julian Works) crushing balls on their off-time, Pena has the bright idea to create the high school’s first golf team. The idea being that if they can take a state championship, there will be no denying JB or anyone who looks like him admission into the country club anymore.

With The Long Game, director Julio Quintana offered me one of the brightest surprises at SXSW this year. This is a film simmering with heart and message, while also layered with culture, humor, and meaning. The young caddies are trapped between two worlds: America, where they live and are still not accepted, and Mexico, where they have roots and are no longer accepted. It is a dichotomy rarely discussed in mainstream filmmaking, how divided these worlds were at this time. Quintana directs his film not as a small think piece or indie dissection of the Latino experience, but as this multicultural melting pot of ideas disguised as popcorn entertainment, crossing lines and demographics as it seamlessly glides to the finish line.

Jay Hernandez is as charismatic a lead as you will find, and JB’s struggle with acceptance – especially after serving his country in war – is worn valiantly on his face as he works diligently to assist these young men on their path to victory. Hernandez allows Pena to wear his frustration with the system on his sleeve, while feigning a smile whenever his young team may need it to advance them to the next round. His easy chemistry with Jaina Lee Ortiz as JB’s wife, Lucy, showcases a supportive, loving relationship that is built to endure the many turns Pena’s endeavor entails.

Along for the ride is Dennis Quaid (who starred with Hernandez in The Rookie) as Pena’s friend and mentor, Frank Mitchell. JB needs Frank as the team’s official coach, as his whiteness affords luxuries the team might otherwise be denied during this sad time in American history, but Quaid never becomes the white savior often found in films like these (though I will forever recommend others find Quaid’s 1998 film Savior, one of the talented actor’s greatest unsung performances). Instead, Frank Mitchell is a mere supporter of the young men and the team, understanding his role in all of this, as well as the Latino community’s deserving of being respected in all areas. Quaid’s grumbly exterior suitably underscores a man who appreciates these men far more than others in similar circumstances.

The sports movie is probably more cliched than a slasher film at this point in cinema history. Talented person or persons struggle to achieve the greatness they obviously deserve, underdog story, rises to the top, tears and rah-rahs commence, the end. The trick with films of this ilk is to ensure that, quite simply, it delivers. That it does, and The Long Game is an emotional crowd-pleaser that deserves to play in theaters nationwide for all families to enjoy.

Listen to our full review on our SXSW 2023 episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: