Click here for the new Bobby Jones movie's IMDB page, and check out the web ads for it while you can. Chee-zee. See, the film stars Jim Caviezel as the film's titular real-life golfer, so the ads say: "His PASSION ... made HIM ... a LEGEND."

I'm more interested in the fact that an actor named "Alistair Begg" is in it.

That's happens to be the same name of this guy.

So this thing is already out? User comments already. Begg's only screen credit is this thing....

Hey, Peter. Taglines like that make me wonder just how bad this thing might be.

This yob is in it too -- unless his scene got cut; I don't see him listed on the IMDB page. Funny how he can work on this film and still have a page on his Web site telling Christian musicians not to take secular gigs.

Jim Caviezel is back. ("I went from playing the messiah to the messiah of golf")

Bobby Jones opens April 30, with Caviezel in the title role, and the online trailer and websites look good. A grassroots marketing campaign should do well for this film. They are signing up 'friends' and 'ambassadors' and will likely attract a fair number of golf fans, Caviezel fans and maybe Christians, if the film measures up to the trailer.

Landing page for email campaign aimed at Christians (and perhaps others?)
Official site.
Golf Online article about Bobby
Great Sports Illustrated article on how left-handed Caviezel recreated Bobby's swing.

It's worth noting that this was an $18.5 million film, and was produced by Dean River Productions -- yes, the guys who made a few movies for Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures until they got bumped for the last one (Last Flight Out), which still hasn't been released. The cast also includes one Kevin Downes, of Mercy Streets, Lay it Down, The Moment After and Six fame -- and a very good golfer, I might add. This was the first film ever allowed to be made on the old course at St Andrews -- significant, since Bobby's Grand Slam win included a victory at the British Open.

As I watched the trailer, I was reminded of Chariots of Fire a little bit -- hope I'm not disappointed.

Alan wrote:
: Done! Thanks for giving me a chance to test this function.

So, um, now my link to the original thread goes to an error message.

Any particular reason why this thread's title and not the original thread's title was preferred? Is this going to be one of those arbitrary administrator thingies?

And will we ever be free to use the shift key as we please?

Movieguide on Bobby Jones:

I dunno... with all those angry golfers throwing clubs, I'm surprised MovieGuide gave it a pass at all. It can really lower their moral precedent there.

Nick

As one of the few lawyers who hates golf, can someone clue me in to the dramatic tension that underlies this tale of fortitude and determination on the greens? Was the protagonist-subject required to overcome some physical obstacle? Sunday tournaments? Mean parents? A team of frothing Russian robots? Uncertainty as to whether his soul was up to par?

Well, the thing about Bobby Jones is that he never went pro ... he was the last golfer to achieve such spectacular success as an amateur.

I'd guess the tension between turning pro or remaining the last of his breed might be milked for some conflict in the film.

In what can only be called a stroke of irony, according to the estimates at Boxofficemojo, The Passion made slightly more this weekend than Bobby Jones. Of course, there is a major difference in how each film was advertised and promoted.

Alistair Begg—Pastor, Movie Star
Turning the Bible into a magazine is becoming stale news for journalists, but turning a pastor into an actor? That's pretty sweet.
ChristianityToday.com Weblog, May 10