There are two incontrovertible categories of golf films: the honorable (Caddyshack, Happy Gilmore, Tin Cup) and the highly unwatchable (everything else). We consider ourselves scholars on the subject, which is why the trailer for Swing Away is throwing us for a loop.
The movie, which comes out this March, stars American Pie's Shannon Elizabeth. Elizabeth is professional golfer who, judging by the first scene, has an emotional breakdown at a tournament. Elizabeth, um, "sells" the outburst a little too much. Within 15 seconds, it appears this film is headed for Trouble Town.
However, it's worth noting Swing Away has already been screened at various film festivals and holds an impressive 7.8 on IMDB. So we continued on, hoping the trailer would bounce back from its first scene.
Though the rest of the clip isn't as overdramatic as Elizabeth's meltdown, we're a tad skeptical about those good reviews. For some reason, Elizabeth heads to Greece to get away from the sport, only to take a young golfer under her wing. This coincides with an American real estate developer -- played by John O'Hurley! (a.k.a J. Peterman from Seinfeld) -- trying to take over the local village, for some reason. The story portends a match between the fledgling player and O'Hurley for the fate of the town...I know, we're rolling our eyes, too.
Though it doesn't look like it's entering the canon of great golf films, we are holding our judgement until the movie releases to the public. But don't take our word, sneak a peek for yourselves:
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