OT: When are movie directors going to understand about sport movies? (The Long Game)

[Bulldog Bruce]

Netflix has a new movie named The Long Game and it is about a group of Mexican-American young men who won the Texas state golf championship in 1957. It was a fine story. A little formulaic but it pulled at your emotions. However they got the 5 most unathletic actors to play the parts of the players and it just ruined the most dramatic parts of the movie. Not one of them could swing a golf club at all. You would actually see them top it or shank it and they would act as if they just hit a gem.

Hollywood has done better over the years of getting actors who at least look like they could play the sport they are portraying. Why do the artistic people still think how the actors move in sports is not important? I can't imagine they would do a biopic on Judy Garland and have an actress that can't sing or one about Gene Kelly and get someone that can't dance.

To add to this insult of athleticism, in the end, when they did the concluding info on each player, they had actual old movie footage of the guys swinging a golf club. All these guys had lovely swings and could obviously play. The act of playing the sport is important.

 

[AlCoDog]

Huge pet peeve of mine.

 

[was21]

Netflix has a new movie named The Long Game and it is about a group of Mexican-American young men who won the Texas state golf championship in 1957. It was a fine story. A little formulaic but it pulled at your emotions. However they got the 5 most unathletic actors to play the parts of the players and it just ruined the most dramatic parts of the movie. Not one of them could swing a golf club at all. You would actually see them top it or shank it and they would act as if they just hit a gem.

Hollywood has done better over the years of getting actors who at least look like they could play the sport they are portraying. Why do the artistic people still think how the actors move in sports is not important? I can't imagine they would do a biopic on Judy Garland and have an actress that can't sing or one about Gene Kelly and get someone that can't dance.

To add to this insult of athleticism, in the end, when they did the concluding info on each player, they had actual old movie footage of the guys swinging a golf club. All these guys had lovely swings and could obviously play. The act of playing the sport is important.

Slap Shot was one the better sports films of all time. It also had hockey players who could play hockey.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I agree Bruce. It drives me nuts when they can’t even halfway look like what they’re portraying.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

Netflix has a new movie named The Long Game and it is about a group of Mexican-American young men who won the Texas state golf championship in 1957. It was a fine story. A little formulaic but it pulled at your emotions. However they got the 5 most unathletic actors to play the parts of the players and it just ruined the most dramatic parts of the movie. Not one of them could swing a golf club at all. You would actually see them top it or shank it and they would act as if they just hit a gem.

Hollywood has done better over the years of getting actors who at least look like they could play the sport they are portraying. Why do the artistic people still think how the actors move in sports is not important? I can't imagine they would do a biopic on Judy Garland and have an actress that can't sing or one about Gene Kelly and get someone that can't dance.

To add to this insult of athleticism, in the end, when they did the concluding info on each player, they had actual old movie footage of the guys swinging a golf club. All these guys had lovely swings and could obviously play. The act of playing the sport is important.

Thought the same while watching this movie. I really don’t think it would be that hard to teach an actor to make a good enough golf swing. There was no attempt at that for this movie

 

[SteelCurtain74]

Typically agree but I really didn't much care that she couldn't kick as well as was portrayed in the movie.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Typically agree but I really didn't much care that she couldn't kick as well as was portrayed in the movie.
View attachment 612106

Yeah, but the rest of them were okay.

 

[ckDOG]

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Slap Shot was one the better sports films of all time. It also had hockey players who could play hockey.

Yes. There are plenty were the director thought it was important. Eight Men Out, Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game, Tin Cup even Major League was presentable.

Of course a hockey movie with people that couldn't skate could be hilarious.

 

[mcdawg22]

View attachment 612108

Did you see that guy on some morning talk show. He was pissed this was the take they used. He threw a 30 yard dime on TV.

 

[stateu1]

It's terrible. Actors clearly never played sports.

 

[was21]

Another one that had professional football players was the film Number One. Only exception was Charleton Heston who actually looked silly trying to throw a football spiral. A lot of Saints players at the time were in it.

 

[mcdawg22]

Yes. There are plenty were the director thought it was important. Eight Men Out, Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game, Tin Cup even Major League was presentable.

Of course a hockey movie with people that couldn't skate could be hilarious.

3 of those had Costner and he is just an athlete. It’s a shame Kurt Russell never had a baseball movie. Sheen is hilarious to me because they said he took roids and worked with a pitching coach and actually got into the 80’s. He was also a pitcher in high school. Tom Cruise is the one that is hilarious to me. He is insanely trained but so unathletic.

 

[Shmuley]

Netflix has a new movie named The Long Game and it is about a group of Mexican-American young men who won the Texas state golf championship in 1957. It was a fine story. A little formulaic but it pulled at your emotions. However they got the 5 most unathletic actors to play the parts of the players and it just ruined the most dramatic parts of the movie. Not one of them could swing a golf club at all. You would actually see them top it or shank it and they would act as if they just hit a gem.

Hollywood has done better over the years of getting actors who at least look like they could play the sport they are portraying. Why do the artistic people still think how the actors move in sports is not important? I can't imagine they would do a biopic on Judy Garland and have an actress that can't sing or one about Gene Kelly and get someone that can't dance.

To add to this insult of athleticism, in the end, when they did the concluding info on each player, they had actual old movie footage of the guys swinging a golf club. All these guys had lovely swings and could obviously play. The act of playing the sport is important.

Danny Noonan could swing it. And Lacey Underall (RIP) had impressive upper body strength.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I agree Bruce. It drives me nuts when they can’t even halfway look like what they’re portraying

Netflix has a new movie named The Long Game and it is about a group of Mexican-American young men who won the Texas state golf championship in 1957. It was a fine story. A little formulaic but it pulled at your emotions. However they got the 5 most unathletic actors to play the parts of the players and it just ruined the most dramatic parts of the movie. Not one of them could swing a golf club at all. You would actually see them top it or shank it and they would act as if they just hit a gem.

Hollywood has done better over the years of getting actors who at least look like they could play the sport they are portraying. Why do the artistic people still think how the actors move in sports is not important? I can't imagine they would do a biopic on Judy Garland and have an actress that can't sing or one about Gene Kelly and get someone that can't dance.

To add to this insult of athleticism, in the end, when they did the concluding info on each player, they had actual old movie footage of the guys swinging a golf club. All these guys had lovely swings and could obviously play. The act of playing the sport is important.

You would think that as insanely fit as everybody is, they wouldn't have trouble finding actors to play the sport they portray. Golf has to be difficult because you're trying to swing the club precisely, but how hard is that? It shows that physical fitness has nothing to do with athleticism

 

[Anon1697564126]

Netflix has a new movie named The Long Game and it is about a group of Mexican-American young men who won the Texas state golf championship in 1957. It was a fine story. A little formulaic but it pulled at your emotions. However they got the 5 most unathletic actors to play the parts of the players and it just ruined the most dramatic parts of the movie. Not one of them could swing a golf club at all. You would actually see them top it or shank it and they would act as if they just hit a gem.

Hollywood has done better over the years of getting actors who at least look like they could play the sport they are portraying. Why do the artistic people still think how the actors move in sports is not important? I can't imagine they would do a biopic on Judy Garland and have an actress that can't sing or one about Gene Kelly and get someone that can't dance.

To add to this insult of athleticism, in the end, when they did the concluding info on each player, they had actual old movie footage of the guys swinging a golf club. All these guys had lovely swings and could obviously play. The act of playing the sport is important.

We just watched this movie a couple of nights ago and my wife said the same thing. She said they should have started filming a month later and had those kids taking golf lessons every day for that month so that the swings would look realistic whether the ball went where it should or not could be edited.

 

[ckDOG]

Did you see that guy on some morning talk show. He was pissed this was the take they used. He threw a 30 yard dime on TV.

I didn't see it but I remember articles about that guy defending his manhood. I don't even know who that guy is or the movie. I googled football throw movie gif to find it bc it's so terrible

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Tom Cruise is the one that is hilarious to me. He is insanely trained but so unathletic.

Tome Cruise is likely the most athletic actor who has ever acted.

 

[The Peeper]

On almost any golf shot you see on a tv show or movie, when the ball hits the green it looks like somebody just out of the screen just tossed the ball on the green from 10' away, its always awful.

 

[ll Martain ll]

 

[CochiseCowbell]

It’s a shame Kurt Russell never had a baseball movie.

I guess this doesn't count?*




But, I get what you're saying.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

I guess this doesn't count?*




But, I get what you're saying.

That’s a good show

 

[dorndawg]

Being great at both athletics and acting isn't difficult, I also don't know why there aren't more people who do both.

 

[ckDOG]

Related gripe. Actors pretending to play the guitar.

KILL ME

 

[thatsbaseball]

I recently watched "The Boys in the Boat" and thought the best RECENT sports movie I've seen.

 

[mcdawg22]

Did anyone see the last season of Fargo. The ******** husband that was supposed to be trying to get on tour had one of the absolute worst swings I have ever seen.

 

[stateu1]

Did anyone see the last season of Fargo. The ******** husband that was supposed to be trying to get on tour had one of the absolute worst swings I have ever seen.

Yea, where he was practicing in the garage right? I can't remember the story line though.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Related gripe. Actors pretending to play the guitar.

KILL ME

YES. The weird thing is that is another artistic act and usually that is taken into account more often. Tom Hanks did such a great job with That Thing You Do in that he made those guys practice as a band for a month or so before any filming. Cameron Crowe on Almost Famous also had the band work with his wife at the time on rock and roll stage presence. Even Ralph Macchio in Crossroads did a bunch of practicing before the movie. They looked like they could play, whether they actually did or not.

 

[mcdawg22]

Related gripe. Actors pretending to play the guitar.

KILL ME

You shut your ***** mouth. This is cinema.

 

[The Peeper]

CHarles Barkley, one of the worst..........except he's not acting

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

Moneyball is another good one with actors who played like ball players.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Other than being fat and dumpy that is not a horrible swing

 

[mcdawg22]

So who is your Mount Rushmore of sports actors. Slap Shot is on another level.
Mine are.
Costner
Burt Reynolds
Woody Harrelson (they said he destroyed Snipes in one on one)
Tie Charlie Sheen ML or David Strathairn in 8 men out
Honorable mention Office edition
Michael Scott Hockey
Kevin Warehouse Basketball

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Being great at both athletics and acting isn't difficult, I also don't know why there aren't more people who do both.

View attachment 612122

Matt in Bagger Vance is an example where obviously he is not a great golfer, but it was presentable and he obviously worked on his swing.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

So who is your Mount Rushmore of sports actors. Slap Shot is on another level.
Mine are.
Costner
Burt Reynolds
Woody Harrelson (they said he destroyed Snipes in one on one)
Tie Charlie Sheen ML or David Strathairn in 8 men out
Honorable mention Office edition
Michael Scott Hockey
Kevin Warehouse Basketball

DB Sweeney is very athletic looking. In Eight Men Out as Shoeless Joe Jackson, he looks like the best ball player. He was also a Hockey player in The Cutting Edge.

 

[johnson86-1]

Being great at both athletics and acting isn't difficult, I also don't know why there aren't more people who do both.

Hollywood is mostly filled with drama nerds. While it's not hard to do both, most people that were normal in high school don't up and move to hollywood to pursue acting.

I will say golf is probably one of the harder sports to portray just because it's not obvious who is going to be able to make a passable swing. Athletic people are generally going to be able to throw a baseball or football and generally shoot a basketball, if for no other reason that almost everybody is exposed to that in childhood even if they don't really play. I know some athletic people that took up golf later in life, even if it's just early adult hood that have horrific looking swings although they generally figure out how to make it work if they stick with it. I know people that started golf young that have a beautiful swing that I don't trust to walk to and from the golf cart without falling they're so uncoordinated.

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

I haven't seen Miracle mentioned yet. From what I understand, most of the people in it were actually hockey players who they got to act. the goalie being one of, if not the only, exception.

 

[mstateglfr]

- Having unathletic looking actors as a golf team makes it more realistic. It's golf- hand-eye coordination and athleticism are often conflated, but rarely should be.

- You don't need a traditionally textbook swing to pass as a good golfer when acting. You just need a balanced and repeatable swing. That is enough to make the play look realistic.
Jim Furyk agrees.

- Anyone that is going to star in a sports movie needs to have some training, if they haven't played the sport. Knowing a few basics makes it so much better.
Just master some basics like...
Shooting a basketball square to the hoop and with wrist flick.
Weight transition when swinging a bat.
Looking up when you have possession of the soccer ball.

 

[mstateglfr]

So who is your Mount Rushmore of sports actors. Slap Shot is on another level.
Mine are.
Costner
Burt Reynolds
Woody Harrelson (they said he destroyed Snipes in one on one)
Tie Charlie Sheen ML or David Strathairn in 8 men out
Honorable mention Office edition
Michael Scott Hockey
Kevin Warehouse Basketball

Adam Sandler.
Not kidding.

Golf- Happy Gilmore
Football- Longest Yard
Football- The Water boy
Basketball- Hustle

 

[dawgman42]

I give the greatest player that never played: