''Seven Days in Utopia'' is a 2011 American

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

sports drama film directed by Matt Russell, starring

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor. With a career spanning seven decades, he is regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. He has received an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Awards ...

, Lucas Black, and

Melissa Leo Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics' Choice A ...

. The film is based on the book ''Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia'' by Dr. David Lamar Cook, a psychologist who received a Ph.D. in Sport and Performance Psychology from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. It was filmed in Utopia, Texas, and

Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg () is a city in and the county seat of Gillespie County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, this city had a population of 10,875. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frede ...

, and was released in the United States on September 2, 2011 to mixed reviews.

Plot

Luke Chisholm, a young professional golfer, has a meltdown during a tournament. After shooting 80 in the final round, Chisholm crashes his car into a fence and finds himself stuck in Utopia, Texas while his car is repaired. He gets wisdom from retired golfer Johnny Crawford. After some instruction and guidance, Chisholm reconciles with his overbearing father and enters the

Valero Texas Open The Texas Open, known as the Valero Texas Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played near San Antonio, Texas. It dates back years to 1922, when it was first called the Texas Open; San Antonio-based Va ...

. He ends up in a playoff with the world's top golfer, T.K. Oh.

Cast

as Johnny Crawford * Lucas Black as Luke Chisholm *

as Lily * K. J. Choi as T.K. Oh * Kelly Tilghman as

Golf Channel Golf Channel (also verbally referred to as simply "Golf" or "NBC Golf") is an American sports television network owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, it is currently ba ...

Reporter / Analyst * Brandel Chamblee as Golf Channel Reporter / Analyst * Deborah Ann Woll as Sarah * Brian Geraghty as Jake *

Rickie Fowler Rick Yutaka Fowler (born December 13, 1988) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He was the number one World Amateur Golf Ranking, ranked amateur golfer in the world for 36 weeks in 2007 and 2008. On January 24, 2016, he ...

as himself * Stewart Cink as himself * Rich Beem as himself

Reception

The film earned mixed reviews from professional critics. ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...

'' described ''Seven Days'' as "utterly predictable" and "bland," but also praised Duvall, who "has to be great here just to keep the movie afloat."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' gave the film one star out of four, writing "I would rather eat a golf ball than see this movie again" and, of Duvall, "Only a great actor could give such a bad performance."

Ending and Online Component

''Seven Days in Utopia'' concludes without revealing whether the protagonist, Luke Chisholm, successfully makes a critical putt during a professional golf tournament. Instead, the film directs viewers to an external website
didhemaketheputt.com
where the outcome is addressed through a reading from the sequel to Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia. The site also includes religious content, such as a section called "Bury Your Lies", a prayer for guidance, a video tour of Utopia, Texas, and a store for purchasing related materials. As of 2025, the website is no longer active. Director Matthew Dean Russell stated that the decision to leave the ending open-ended was intentional, aligning with the film's themes of faith and personal growth. He explained that the website was developed by author and producer David L. Cook, along with Visio Entertainment, to provide a space for further engagement without incorporating overt religious messaging directly into the film. Russell described the approach as a way to respect diverse audiences while allowing those interested to explore the film’s faith-based message further.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seven Days in Utopia 2011 films 2010s sports drama films American sports drama films Films about Christianity Films based on American novels Films set in Texas Films shot in Texas American golf films Films scored by Klaus Badelt 2011 drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language sports drama films

Plot

Cast

Reception

Ending and Online Component

References

Further reading

Books

Articles

External links