The Short Game Review – Encouraging, A Family Friendly Inspirational Film

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Friday, 08 November 2024 14:41

Written by Janet Walker

The Short Game, from Abramorama and Director Frank Sanza, brings to the screen the story of a teenage golf sensation wrestling his own demons, who is suddenly hit with crippling loss right before a must win state championship.

The film begins with high school golfer, Jeremy Avery, played by Ben Krieger, hitting short game chip shots in his garage, while his younger brother Ethan, played by Owen Himfar, who is diagnosed with high functioning autism, and is fixated on a golfing video. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a motorcycle speeds around the corner, scaring the two neighborhood kids, Martin, played by Brandon Gomez, and Lewis, played by Brody Stowers.

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The motorcycle rider stops at Jeremy's house, and we then meet Tommy, played by played by Tyler Lofton, who is trying to help his friend overcome his mental block and recapture the strength of his short game. The two are good friends. The young neighborhood kids show up and barter four new golf balls for their silence, as they explain they will tell his mother that he was speeding through the neighborhood.

At dinner we meet their mother, Lisa, played by Katherine Cunningham, and dad, John, played by Mackenzie Astin. We also realize that the family is feeling the pinch as the medical bills from the cancer treatment are billing up and overdue.

As the winner of the Texas All State Golf Championship, as a freshman, Jeremy has been in a two slump, now as a senior he needs to win the championship again to secure a college scholarship. He is old enough to understand the financial strain his parents have been under, with his mom's treatment, and now his only hope, he believes, of attending college is through securing a golf scholarship.  Each day he receives a rejection letter from another college. The pressure is squeezing him.

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Each day Jeremy walks past the trophy case at school, and instead of feeling encouraged he becomes more despondent and hopeless. The high school principal Don Keller, played by Rockey D. Massey, tried to put life into perspective by showing him a trophy of himself, and explaining his hopes and while his original goals weren't realized, the journey he ended up on became the better path for him.

We get the golfing play-by-play from Carly, the videographer, played by Emma Parks. With one last game to secure the team's berth in the state championship, the slump continues and while Jeremy makes the cut, his team doesn't.

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With his entire future on the line, he receives devastating news, which nearly derails his passion, hope, and effort. By accident Jeremy realizes his brother, who has uncanny abilities and can remember each detail of the golf videos is making all the right calls and he warms up to the idea of his autistic brother coaching.

Jeremy's path leads him on a journey of discovery both internal and of his brother's savant-like gifts, that if embraced can create an unstoppable pair. But on the brink of his greatest victory, Jeremy is forced to make a life-altering decision, finally achieving his own personal dreams or standing by his brother.

A faith-based family friendly film, The Short Game, presents a story of inspiration, hope and triumph over adversity. See it.

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Country: U.S.

Language: English.

Runtime: 93 minutes.

Director: Frank Sanza.

Producer: David Parks.

Executive Producer: Daniel Hegel, E. Joren Christensen.

Writer: Frank Sanza, Larry Boatright, E Joren Christensen, Florrie Laurence, David Parks.

Cast: Ben Krieger, Owen Himfar, Mackenzie Astin, Katherine Cunningham, Glenn Morshower, Tyler Lofton, Emma Parks, Adyn Alexander, Brandon Potter, Jon Donahue, Brandon Gomez.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.