The Short Game | |
---|---|
Directed by | Josh Greenbaum |
Produced by | Josh Greenbaum Christopher Leggett Rafael Marmor |
Narrated by | Edd Hall |
Production companies | Delirio Films Tenman Films Iron Ocean Films |
Distributed by | Samuel Goldwyn Films Phase 4 Films Netflix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $39,819 |
The Short Game is a 2013 documentary film about 7- and 8-year-old golfers. Produced by Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel [1] and directed by Josh Greenbaum, it presents eight entrants in the 2012 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship. [2] The film premiered in 10 cities on September 20, 2013. [3]
Beginning 6 months before the 2012 World Championships, the movie visits each of the eight subjects at their homes, some of which are as far away as Paris, Manila, Johannesburg, and Shenzhen, China to meet the kids and their parents. Once the subjects are introduced we observe the various trials and tribulations of the competition. [4] The subjects of the movie are evenly split between children from the United States and other countries with five boys and three girls, including Allan Kournikova (half-brother of Anna), Sky Sudberry, and Augustin Valery (great-grandson of French poet Paul Valéry). [5] Kournikova went on to win the boy's division of this event for his age group. [6]
The film also includes interviews with golfing legends Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Chi-Chi Rodríguez, and Annika Sörenstam.
Name | Age | Gender | Hometown | Nationality | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amari Avery | 8 | Female | Riverside, California | United States | 1st |
Jed Dy | 8 | Male | Manila, Philippines | Philippines | 9th |
Allan Kournikova | 7 | Male | West Palm Beach, Florida | United States | 1st |
Zamokuhle "Zama" Nxasana | 8 | Male | Johannesburg, South Africa | South Africa | 18th |
Alexa Pano | 7 | Female | Lake Worth Beach, Florida | United States | 1st |
Sky Sudberry | 8 | Female | Tiki Island, Texas | United States | 8th |
Augustin Valery | 8 | Male | Paris, France | France | 40th |
Yang Kuang | 7 | Male | Shenzhen, China | China | 14th |
The majority of the film was shot during the tournament, with 18 different camera crews using Canon EOS C300 cameras with Canon 70–200mm f/2.8 and Canon 25-75 f/2.8 lenses. Each child was followed by two crews, one ahead and one behind. [8]
Based on 18 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it had an average 6.2 rating out of 10 and an 83% approval rating. [9] At Metacritic, its has a score of 51 out of 100 based on 10 reviews. [10] The film won the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival in March 2013. [11]
Los Angeles Times critic Annlee Ellingson describes the movie as a "warts-and-all" depiction of youth golfers that is similar to the 2002 documentary film Spellbound about the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. [4] Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times also notes that the movie was probably modeled after Spellbound and raved about the movie's uninhibited cuteness. Rapold compared the introductions to reality shows but notes that some of the subjects such as Kournikova and his mother are more fleshed out than others. [12] Golf Digest critic John Strege said that "The toxic mix of youth sports and overzealous parents threatened to hijack" the film but the subjects themselves were so entertaining that the movie was not a loss. [3] Boston Globe critic Michael Whitmer says the results of Greenbaum's feature film debut were compelling although tinged with discomfort. [5] USA Today critic Scott Bowles described the film as upbeat and noted that "...for astute viewers and golf fans, Short hits the green consistently and is, at times, a hole-in-one." [13]
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova is a Russian model and television personality, and former professional tennis player. Her appearance and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name one of the most common search strings on Google Search.
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Josh Greenbaum is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has won an MTV Movie Award, CINE Golden Eagle and Emmy Award. He directed the feature documentary The Short Game, winner of the SXSW Audience Award, which was acquired by Netflix to launch their Originals film division. He also directed Becoming Bond, a documentary about George Lazenby, which won SXSW's Audience Award in the Visions category, as well as the critically acclaimed Too Funny to Fail, a documentary about The Dana Carvey Show. He is also the creator, director and executive producer of Behind the Mask, which earned Hulu its first ever Emmy nomination. He made his narrative feature debut with Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
Alexa Pano is an American professional golfer. She was featured in the 2013 documentary film The Short Game.
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Amari Avery is an American professional golfer who played for the USC Trojans woman's golf team. She was featured in the 2013 films The Short Game and Trophy Kids.