A Beautiful Game

 

“A Beautiful Game”

A Review of The Short Game by Nick Olszyk

 

Distribution Service: Various streaming services

MPAA Rating, PG

OSV Rating, Not rated at the time of this review

Reel Rating, Three Reels (out of Five)                    

 

            Jeremy (Ben Krieger) is a has-been athlete at only seventeen. He won the Texas high school championship as a freshman but has struggled ever seen. Now a senior, he has one last shot to win the scholarship necessary to attend university and needs to be at his best. However, he is constantly distracted by various trials, especially his younger autistic brother Ethan (Owen Himfar). However, the sufferings of his life may not be the problem after all. In fact, they might be the way God works “for the good in all things.”

            As the story begins, Jeremy is trying to improve his golf skills. His best friend Tommy (Tyler Lofton) sets him up outside his house and tells him to hit ball across the street into his neighbor’s yard. “Pretend it’s a river,” he says. Jeremy hits the ball across the street and nails his neighbor’s car, setting off the alarm. Such is the condition of his game. Things get worse when his mom announces she is getting a new job, leaving Jeremy to take care of Ethan. They need the money to pay for his mom’s medical bills, but he’s already overwhelmed. When tragedy strikes, however, Jeremy realizes he didn’t appreciate the things right before his nose, especially his brother. He invites Ethan to help him and realizes his extensive knowledge of the game, making him his caddy. With a renewed sense of purpose, he enters the state competition, but can he beat the local privileged yuppie villain and win the day?

            The heart of the film is Jeremy’s relationship with Ethan. In the beginning, Ethan is a burden, an unwanted task pushed on his by his parents. Being autistic, Ethan doesn’t process events well or understand basic social graces in the way Jeremy does. He blurts out unnecessary information or has sudden panic attacks that require intervention. Yet his obsessive attention to detail proves helpful. He can sense the best club to use in every situation and notices things like wind speed or the cushion of the grass. When Jeremy allows him to be his caddy, Ethan is overjoyed. Yet Ethan’s decorum on the field is lackluster and even distracting. Jeremy is deducted points and must choose between having Ethan on the green or being disqualified. This is a choice all men must make in the world, whether we "seek first the Kingdom" or our own understanding. 

            Faith is present throughout the film but often comes suddenly and inorganically. A character will mention a bible verse or God’s will but usually as an afterthought. Jeremy himself isn’t antagonistic to faith nor especially invested. The closest the film gets to explicit religiosity occurs during a time of great turmoil. God often gives man trials to teach us to lean on Him, but this is as much a necessity of the plot as a genuine religious conversion.

            A better sense of God is found in the gorgeous cinematography. In a film that is admittedly weak in some respects, the natural beauty of the course stands out: the sound of the wind, the ripples of the water, the colors of the foliage. Golf is a game where subtle changes and a single point can mean victory or defeat. Like our lives, it unfolds in a delicate balance with God’s providence.

            I am not a golfer, although I do enjoy mini-golf with my children. I’ve never played on a normal course, nor do I know even the basic rules. Yet The Short Game made me appreciate the game in a new way beyond just a time waster for retired politicians. My wife, who played in high school, was enraptured from beginning to end. It’s a testament to a fine family movie and one that everyone can enjoy independent of your score.