The Long Game (film)

The Long Game
Release poster
Directed by	Julio Quintana
Screenplay by	Paco Farias Jennifer C. Stetson Julio Quintana
Based on	Mustang Miracle by Humberto G. Garcia
Produced by	Ben Howard Dennis Quaid Laura Quaid Marla Quintana Javier Chapa
Starring	Jay Hernandez Julian Works Jaina Lee Ortiz Brett Cullen Oscar Nuñez Paulina Chávez Gregory Diaz IV José Julián Cheech Marin Dennis Quaid
Cinematography	Alex Quintana
Edited by	James K. Crouch
Music by	Hanan Townshend
Production companies	HarbourView Fifth Season Mucho Mas Media Bonniedale Jaguar Bite
Distributed by	Mucho Mas Releasing
Release dates	March 12, 2023 (2023-03-12) (SXSW) April 12, 2024 (2024-04-12) (United States)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$3.1 million[1][2]

The Long Game is a 2023 American historical sports drama film adaptation of Humberto G. Garcia's 2010 book Mustang Miracle. The film is directed by Julio Quintana and stars Jay Hernandez, Julian Works, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Brett Cullen, Oscar Nuñez, Paulina Chávez, Gregory Diaz IV, José Julián, Cheech Marin, and Dennis Quaid. The film was released theatrically in the United States by Mucho Mas Media on April 12, 2024.

Premise

The film tells the true story of the San Felipe Mustangs, a group of Mexican-American youths located in Del Rio, Texas. In the 1950s, the group set out to play golf at a white country club in town in order to have a high school team. Despite prejudice and obstacles, the Mustangs succeeded in becoming the 1957 Texas state champions.^[3][4]

Cast

• Jay Hernandez as JB Peña
• Dennis Quaid as Frank Mitchell
• Cheech Marin as Pollo
• Julian Works as Joe Treviño
• Jaina Lee Ortiz as Lucy Peña
• Brett Cullen as Judge Milton Cox
• Oscar Nuñez as Principal Guerra
• Paulina Chávez as Daniela Torres
• Gregory Diaz IV as Gene Vasquez
• Miguel Angel Garcia as Felipe Romero
• Christian Gallegos as Mario Lomas
• José Julián as Lupe Felan
• Gillian Vigman as Gayle Baker
• Richard Robichaux as Don Glenn
• Jimmy Gonzalez as Adelio Treviño
• Michael Southworth as Tim Cox
• Mykle McCoslin as Margaret Cox
• Heather Kafka as Alice Glenn

Production

In June 2022, it was announced that Jay Hernandez, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Dennis Quaid, and Julian Works would star in the film. Jay Hernandez is one of the executive producers along with Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez.^[4]

Release

The Long Game premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2023. It was theatrically released by Mucho Mas Media on April 12, 2024.^[5][6] The movie made its streaming debut on Netflix in the United States on July 12, 2024.^[7]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 31 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "An appealing underdog story based on an uplifting true story, The Long Game represents a triumph of sheer heart over well-worn narrative formula."^[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[9]

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film a positive review and wrote that it "transcends its clichés by being true to its characters and artistic in its approach."^[10] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Could have used more topspin, but a winning round nonetheless."^[11] Therese Lacson of Collider graded the film a C and wrote, "The Long Game isn't awful, it's perfectly serviceable as a sports flick about an inspiring all-American team, but that's all that it is: it's fine. There's little to write home about and it feels like a case of unfulfilled potential."^[12]

References

1. "The Long Game – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
2. "The Long Game - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
3. "Sports coming-of-age movie 'The Long Game' tells a true Texas story for a wider audience". KERA News. March 24, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
4. Cordero, Rosy (June 27, 2022). "Jay Hernandez, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Dennis Quaid & Julian Works To Lead Feature Adaptation Of Humberto G. Garcia's Book 'Mustang Miracle'". Deadline. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
5. Schepp, Calie (March 12, 2023). "Dennis Quaid coaches caddies to out-golf the racist country clubs that rejected them in The Long Game". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 25, 2024). "Dennis Quaid & Jay Hernandez SXSW-Winning Golf Drama 'The Long Game' Sets Theatrical Release With Mucho Mas Media". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
7. Moore, Kasey (June 14, 2024). "'The Long Game': Netflix Sets Streaming Debut for Jay Hernandez and Dennis Quaid Movie". What's on Netflix. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
8. "The Long Game". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
9. "The Long Game". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
10. Tallerico, Brian (March 18, 2023). "SXSW 2023: Blackberry, Problemista, The Long Game". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
11. Linden, Sheri (March 12, 2023). "'The Long Game' Review: Mexican Americans' Struggle for Acceptance Unfolds on the Golf Course in a Gently Rousing Family-Friendly Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
12. Lacson, Therese (March 13, 2023). "'The Long Game' Review: Dennis Quaid & Jay Hernandez Miss the Mark in an Unsurprising Sports Story; SXSW 2023". Collider. Retrieved April 21, 2023.

External links

• The Long Game at IMDb