Just watched the Long Game on Netflix and I'm not sure I've spent much time writing reviews for formulaic 'underdog movies' between 6-7 stars. However, I enjoyed the movie but moreover was blown away at the screen presence of Jay Hernandez who plays the lead. This guy carries, Quaid is a great backup for a movie like this, heck I expect him in every underdog movie, don't you? Story is decent but delivery can be everything sometimes and Jay Hernandez nails it.

I hope he gets a few other big dynamic movie roles because I think he's got it. Maybe not the immediate draw of a Hardy or Dicaprio, but definitely a Clooney.

Hey Hollywood, sign em up!

For as long as there have been movies, the "underdog" niche has been popular. What's not to like about watching someone (or someones) come from behind to show the rest of us that, in the right circumstances, anything is possible? Golf might seem at first like a poor fit for this category, but of course the real story is about discrimination. It works. Jay Hernandez is the glue that keeps the attention of the audience, and he basically steals every scene not otherwise nailed down. Quaid has recently started a "second career" as an older actor playing older parts. And he is good in all of them. The 1950s are a welcome distraction for viewers in an age where modern and now both seem somehow inauthentic and wrong. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I am a non-golfer.

I never played, and I never will.

It is from my point of view not a real sport.

Like pool, snooker it is a boring ball game, not enough physical and mental action, no real confrontations. I prefer sports like Tennis, or better football (soccer for you US people)

But the movie is not. It is about passionate young and elder people, trying to find their way through the obstacles mostly unfair of life.

It has a lot of very very nice, emotionally intelligent little scenes about wisdom and effect of our decisions and actions.

I can't emphasize enough how well these scenes are made.

So many characters well drawn. The director Julio Quintana born in the USA after her parents left Cuba shows he feels how Mexican immigrants felt. Not anymore Mexicans and yet not real Americans.

No-man's-land..

I specially liked the symbolism in the scene were a golfers girlfriend explains how she intends to become a writer by already writing now shorts stories of peoples daily life. Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.

Actors are all great, but I fell for Jaina Lee Ortiz.

It is a men sports, is it not still today?

She is not even mentioned on the cover, standing far in the back.

What a shame, She did not have too many words to say, so she made her presence mainly by her very subtle body and face expressions. Nevertheless she played a strong female character.

She has great potential, and I hope we see more of her anytime soon.