A promising young golfer, Luke Chisholm (Lucas Black) has a terrible day. His meltdown after contending for the lead in a tournament in Texas drives his father/coach (Lyle Taylor) to abandon him and makes television headlines. Heading out onto the back-roads to blow off some steam, Luke instead blows right through the pasture fence of eccentric rancher Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall) and finds himself stranded in the tiny town of Utopia.
While waiting for his car to get repaired, a powerful friendship between the two ignites a life-altering week of transformation in Luke.
After searching in Utopia for a lot of things – reconciliation, redemption, romantic love and a better drive off the tee — Luke is ready take a chance on his last shot at a pro career. Only this time he’s equipped with the one thing that really matters: a sense of higher purpose he’s ready to put into play.
“We all get caught up chasing status, ambition and dreams, but when things go awry you sometimes have to trust in the course your life is taking. That can lead to greater moments than you ever imagined, “says the film’s director Matt Russell.
For Russell, making his directorial debut after a career in visual effects, it also was a chance to explore something seen less often on screen: the profound impact of teachers, and the need for one generation to help another get through the toughest of times. “I saw it most of all as a story about mentorship, about passing moral wisdom down from generation to generation.”
After reading the novel the film is based on, the director further explains his personal interest in the project. “I’ve personally had a lot of people in my life who have taken me under their wings and mentored me and I firmly believe it’s made me a much better person. That’s what Robert Duvall’s character gives to Lucas Black’s, and at the end of the day, I think that’s why we’re all here. When you see how Johnny changes Luke, it makes you want to go out and help someone else who maybe just needs a break or some advice.”
Robert Duvall got a kick out of the variety of creative ways that his character teaches Luke to ferret out his own answers. “He teaches in symbols and parallels,” Duvall says. “By doing all these other things, he shows Luke the power of just getting back to the basics, of ridding himself of fear and just being in the moment. He approaches him as a human being first and a golfer second.”
“I was attracted to this because it’s also had to dig himself out from a dark place to become the man he is now. “I really wanted to get to Johnny’s past demons,” explains Duvall. “Matt Russell agreed with me that we needed to show the human frailties.”
A long-time lover of golf, Duvall appreciated the way the filmmakers strived to depict the game with a groundbreaking realism. “I think it’s one of the most legitimate golf movies ever,” Duvall says. “I’ve played for many years, Lucas Black is a scratch golfer as well as being a terrific actor, and having so many professional golfers on the set was just terrific.”
The Alabama-born, Missouri-based Lucas Black (”Friday Night Lights”), grew up playing the game and has one of the better swings among actors.
With the support of the PGA (and healthy product placement by Calloway) the golf competition is enhanced with the appearance of real pros and even a somewhat elevated role by veteran tour player KJ Choi who appears as “TK Oh” (that’s correct), a leading competitor for Chisholm.
Choi explains what drew him to the story saying he has always seen mastering the art of golf as similar to navigating the trials and triumphs of everyday living. “Playing golf can be very up and down, and like life it is very short and has many kinds of people. Some of those people hold back, some are sad, some are happy. Same ball, different goals,” he sums up.
Filmed at Boot Ranch, in Fredericksburg, Texas on a course designed by former PGA champion Hal Sutton, the movie includes appearances by other pro golfers including: Stewart Cink, Rickie Fowler and Rich Beem.
“For me, it was fun to step outside the bubble of a professional golfer’s career and do something a little different,” says Cink, another veteran of the PGA Tour who won the 2009 British Open Championship. “I think golf fans are really going to appreciate the effort and extra steps that have been taken to make this one of the most authentic golf films.”
Cink was also glad to see a film address the tough realities behind the seeming dream life of a pro golfer. “It’s a great life and I wouldn’t trade with anyone, but it’s not all glamour,” he notes. “It can be tough and mentally draining and even if you’re Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, you only win about 25% of the tournaments. So that means you’re losing 75% of the time even if you’re the best that has ever played! Like Luke, I’ve learned to lean on my faith to iron out the peaks and the valleys.” 
One of the themes of Seven Days in Utopia is presenting the notion about a higher meaning to life than mere winnings from performance on the links. This is conveyed at the start and end of the picture by the voiceover comments from Duvall’s character in which he says, “How can a game have such an effect on a man’s soul?”
“It’s great tale about a man’s journey, and about how you survive life’s unexpected curve balls,” adds Duvall.
