Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Movie Review - THE SQUEEZE

One perk of being a golf blogger is having the opportunity to test some of the latest equipment and share my thoughts. As a (high) single-digit handicapper, I can speak from the perspective of many golfers - as opposed to just reading results from the perfect swing of a robot.

A unique opportunity recently popped up - review an advance copy of the upcoming golf movie, THE SQUEEZE. While I’m far from a movie critic, I do watch a lot of movies. What could be better than pairing my love of golf with a love of movies?

Written and directed by Terry Jastrow, THE SQUEEZE stars Jeremy Sumpter (J.D. McCoy in Friday Night Lights), Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore) and Michael Nouri (Nick Hurley in Flashdance).

Jastrow’s character, Augie Baccas, is very likable - loving son, good big brother and terrific friend - and seemingly content in his small town. McDonald’s Riverboat is the perfect fast-talking, somewhat slimy gambler to pique the interest of young Baccas. Nouri as Las Vegas gambler Jimmy Diamonds will make you think twice about crossing anyone on The Strip. He’s excellent.

A critical component of the movie, in my opinion, was the on-screen playing ability of Sumpter and his competitors. There were some sweet swings. I can forgive poor acting, but even good acting would be ruined by any lack of ability (think Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf, Noonan’s arch-nemesis D’Annunzio in Caddyshack or John Goodman as Babe Ruth to name a few). Jastrow’s swing made you believe he could be a golf phenom.

While I enjoyed the entire movie, the best part for me was the twist at the ending. Mix it with a little mystery and I’m hoping for a sequel.

Don’t take my word for it ... Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Bob Costas, Jim Nantz and Al Michaels all enjoyed it, as well. That’s good company to keep.

THE SQUEEZE is released April 17 (Friday after The Masters). See it.

Check out www.thesqueezemovie for more.

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