disney does golf

[left- francis = golfer/protagonist
right- father = casey jones from ninja turtles the movie]

ok, so i know what you're thinking... "oh great, another disney little-guy-triumphs-over-adversity-and-wins-the-sporting-event movie", because that's what i thought, and we were right. but let me tell you the tale of how i was privileged to see an advanced screening of this film tonight. my friend bill, who [like pedro's cousins] has all the sweet hook-ups, gave amanda and i tickets to go see it. we havent been to a movie in a month or more, and money is tight due to my recent vocational adjusments, so a free date started to look really nice. while this ended up being pretty good for one of those movies, i had read on the playbill that it was "from the makers of remember the titans, the rookie, & miracle". neither did it inspire my confidence that it was also directed by bill paxton. as a rule, i avoid this kind of movie in the same manner that i avoid having my head sewn to the carpet, but sometimes exceptions must be made. besides, the chubby kid seemed funny in the trailer, so i decided to keep an open mind. i won't spoil the fairly predictable plot, nor will i tell you whether the underdog wins, but one thing in particular caught me by surprise. i was fairly well fortified against any emotional investment/ reaction, even amidst sporadic applause from other theater goers [they can't hear you!]. but, right at the end of the movie, just when i thought i had ridden the storm out safely, the stubborn father character [pictured right above] made a final gut-wrenching overture that sent me reeling tearily from my okc harkin's bricktown dolby-digital-surround-sound-stadium-seat into the night. the crotchedy old man finally came around. damn you, casey jones, you get me every time...