The Long Game (2023)
Genre: Drama, Family
Director: Julio Quintana
Based on: Mustang Miracle by Humberto G. Garcia
Stars: Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Cheech Marin, Julian Works, Jaina Lee Ortiz
Plot: In a segregated Texas, five Mexican-American teenage caddies were prohibited from playing at the country club where they worked. Against all odds, they formed their own team, built a one-hole course in the fields, and won the 1957 Texas State championship. Based on a true story.
* * *
[soft gentle music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[warplanes fly over]
[soft dramatic music]
Watch out!
[explosion blasts]
[whack, whack, whack, whack, whack]
[bright swing music]
[Felipe] Joe, come on!
[knocking on door]
Joe, let’s go!
We’re gonna be late!
He ain’t home.
How do you know?
‘Cause I saw him leave.
Why are you wearing that? It’s like 100 degrees.
What do you mean? It looks cool?
You do not look cool.
Mario, come on!
Will you quit following me?
Joe said I could come.
[Speaking in Spanish]Hijo de la…
That shirt’s real wet, man.
Yeah, thanks.
What’s he doing here?
Joe said I could come.
Your nipples are showing.
Shut up.
[in Spanish] It’s wet!
Then why’d you wash it?
Hey brat! Because it smelled like a dog.
I always tell him, Señora but he never believes me.
[in English] -Felipe, will you shut your mouth?
What?
That shirt is really wet.
[Felipe] Let’s go.
[Mario] Hurry. [Felipe] Corrale.
[Gene] Cut it out.
[Old Man] This ain’t no taco stand, you hear me?!
Yes sir, I understand that.
I told you guys to find another meet in’ place.
You hear?
Now get!
Yeah, yeah, we ‘re gettin’, viejo.
Oye, what took you guys so long?
Who invited this pollito?
Joe did.
Yeah, Joe did.
Why’s you shirt wet?
[Felipe laughs]
So where is Joe anyway?
[smack] [growls]
[punch thuds] [trash cans clatter]
[punch thuds]
[fence boards crack]
[Joe groans]
Hey!
[Joe grunting]
Hey.
Come on.
Put it down.
[Fighters] Hey, hey, hey.
Come on, come on, come on.
Get outta here.
Ahh!
Yeah, that’s right.
Thanks guys.
Joe, you all right?
Of course.
I told Gene it ain’t no picnic on this side of the creek.
Especially if you fight every gringo who calls you a wetback.
They didn’t call me a wet back.
What did they call you?
Nothing.
But I bet they were think in’ it.
[Joe OFF SCREEN] -Oye what are you guys doing?
Come on, we’re gonna be late.
[upbeat music]
Pinche loco…
♪ Oh what have you done ♪
♪ To my heart, Elaine ♪
[sighs]
Terrible.
Uh, Lucy, do you know where my ties are?
What?
I, I can’t find
my green tie.
It’s…
Your green tie.
[Lucy chuckles]
[JB] Of course.
You okay?
[JB] Yeah, of course.
Why?
Sounded like you were going a little harder
than usual last night.
Sorry.
Didn’t mean to wake you.
You must be nervous ’cause you didn’t spend this much time picking out your wedding tie.
Oh, it’s cause I had that one in the bag.
What?
I’m good.
Great, actually.
Just gonna take it easy, like you said.
I even have a good golf joke teed up.
No.
JB please, no jokes, no.
Why, why do soldiers make good golfers?
Honey, you’re really not good at jokes.
What are you talking about?
I tell great jokes.
No, no, no, no.
What are you talking about?
You love your golf game more than me, don’t you?
Oh, come on. That is ridiculous.
Don’t say anything like that.
You know I love you both the same.
[Lucy] Oh.
I told you I tell good jokes.
[mellow music]
♪ ♪
[Mr. Thomas] Hey Joe, thanks for warning me
about the sand trap on seven.
Old Judge Cox here,
he’s gonna be finding sand in his hair for days.
I haven’t seen that much sand
in the air since we landed on Normandy Beach.
[men laugh]
You definitely had a better caddy than I did today.
Hey, good work today, son.
Wow. Thank you so much Mr. Thomas.
I can see you’re better with a cleaning rag.
[boys playing]
[coin flip tings]
Thank you, sir.
Quit that, Tim!
What?
Excuse me?
[Tim] Yes, sir.
Did you inspect your clubs?
Yes sir, they’re clean.
All right.
Now you boys watch your fingerprints on the car when you load the bags.
[Caddies] Yes sir.
[Tim clears his throat]
[Tim] Thanks for your help today.
Hey, I’ve got these.
Why don’t you to take Gene out and go look for lost balls and tees?
Meet me out at front.
We can still make it to El Llanito before dark.
Yeah, all right.
Yeah?
What’s El Llanito?
You’ll see.
Nice.
Let me get that.
[hinge squeaks]
[pee splatters]
[trunk slams shut]
[bird singing]
Thank you for coming today, Mr. Cox.
Hope you had a good time, young man. [Laughs]
[engine revs]
[jazzy music]
♪ I work in a bakery shop from 12 to 9 ♪
♪ Can’t nobody bake jelly rolls like mine ♪
Not as easy as it looks, huh?
Let me show you how it’s done.
See that trap of nopales over there?
♪ And when you taste my jelly roll, it satisfies your very♪
[cactus cracks]
Go fetch, ball boy.
I ain’t crawling in there to get your ball.
That’s not even a tough shot, Felipe.
Oh yeah, quarter says you can’t do better.
All right.
♪ ♪
♪ And when you taste my jelly roll ♪
How about that?
[Felipe] Whatever. You can’t hit that.
Joe, what are you doing?
Joe, Joe, Joe, Joe!
[glass shatters]
[tires screech]
Let’s go, come on!
Hey!
Come over here you little shits.
[birds singing]
[intriguing music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[engine revs]
[tires screech]
If you’re trying to make a good impression, you could try being on time.
What the hell happened to you?
Don’t worry about it.
We’re late.
Jesus.
Hi.
Hello? Oh.
I’m here to see Mr. Glenn.
Sir, are you all right?
I ‘m, I’m fine.
I ‘m actually Frank’s friend.
Yeah, Gayle, this is JB Peña.
He’s my old war buddy and he swore I wouldn’t regret this.
Why would you regret?
No, he, he’s uh, look,
I’m here to see Mr. Glenn about becoming a member.
Yeah, you need to reschedule.
Is, is, is he back there right now?
JB.
Oh Mr. Peña?
I ‘m, I’m just.
Where are you going?
Talk to him for a second.
This is… Frank!
Just two minutes.
Mr. Glenn?
Yes?
I’m sorry, Mr. Glenn, I told him we could reschedule.
Yeah.
Mr. Glenn, JB Peña, sir.
You Frank’s pal?
Yes, sir.
And, and I’m, very, very sorry for, for being late.
Yeah, well, looks like you got a good reason.
Oh yeah.
No, I, it’s fine.
It’s all right, Gayle.
Okay.
Well come on in.
Have a seat.
Thank you.
Frank says you just moved to town, work related I assume.
Yes.
I start Monday as new school superintendent at San Felipe High.
And well, if I’m being honest,
this place here is a real draw for me.
Del Rio.
Yeah.
I mean, it’s the best club around here.
Heck, the best club in all Texas if you ask me.
Unless of course you prefer that pansy Hancock course out in Austin.
I could play that course with my eyes closed.
I mean, the, the traps are too small to even be a threat.
Well, Frank mentioned that you, you served together.
Marines?
Infantry, yeah.
141st regiment, yeah.
Must have been a hell of a thing.
So I know you hear this all the time, but thank you for your service.
Well, I, I, I don’t
I don’t hear that all the time, but, uh, that’s all right.
I was proud to serve my country, so…
Well, that’s great.
[chuckles] that’s good.
Yeah.
You know something, I know the manager over at the Rio Grande Country Club.
Now it’s a bit of a drive, but it’s a great little course.
And I know for a fact
they’d be lucky to have you as a member.
It’s Miguel Chavez.
No, it’s Chapa, Miguel Chapa.
I got it right here.
No, no sir.
No, it’s really no trouble at all.
Yeah, I know it’s not a lot…
I’m sorry, sir.
Okay.
It’s good to meet you Mr. Peña.
No no, Mr. Glenn.
Listen, I’m a good golfer.
I got my clubs in the car, I can show you right now.
That’s not necessary.
All right, listen to this one.
Why do soldiers make the best golfers?
Because you’re used to being in bunkers, you know?
Is that, that’s a joke?
No, no.
Look, I don’t want to be a member of some border town club an hour from here.
I want to play here.
You can play here anytime as a guest with one of our members.
And I appreciate that, sir.
But I don’t want to be a guest.
I wanna be a member just like everybody else.
Please.
I really need this.
Listen, Mr. Peña.
You seem like a good man.
And if it was up to me,
hell, I’d gladly let you join.
But I, I gotta consider our other members and they, and they are just not used to seeing a Mexican on the golf course.
I’m sorry, son.
I ‘m afraid there’s just no place for you here.
Hmm.
[somber music]
[Lucy] Hi.
JB, what hap…
It ‘s, it’s nothing.
You uh,
you were right.
He didn’t like the joke.
[somber music]
[whack]
[JB mutters]
[whack, whack, whack]
[somber music]
[school bell rings]
[bright music]
Oye, I thought your dumb ass graduated two years ago?
[laughs]
Oh, whoa, whoa.
At ease payasos!
The Mexicans aren’t gonna invade!
We already took over! [Laughs]
Don’t be a jerk, cabrón.
Whatever.
Oh, no, no, no.
This guy can’t be serious.
First day of high school.
Gotta make a strong impression.
You look like James Dean’s Mexican cousin.
!¡OÓrale! James Bean!
Okay, stuff it.
Listen Gene, come here.
If I was you, I would show a little more gratitude.
You know?
High school ain’t no picnic and until you learn how things work around here you should keep a pen and paper and write down our moves.
Then let ‘s see ‘ em, big man.
What?
I want to see your moves.
Uh…
That’s what I thought.
[girls giggle]
[Joe stutters]
Hey.
Nice moves!
Shut up.
You come to school with no books?
[engine rumbles]
[door thumps]
[paper crinkling]
[JB] Principal Guerra!
Superintendent Peña! [Laughs]
Come on, call me Tomás, right?
Careful not to bump the car as you open your door.
You parked kinda close.
[JB sighs]
You left your window open.
I hear you have some ideas on how to improve our low reading scores.
Yeah, it’s just a couple things that worked in the last district.
All right, well, one of the biggest challenges that we face at this…
Excuse me, sir.
Is everything okay?
[whispering]You can’t let the boys see you smiling.
The kids?
We just want to give them a taste of military discipline so that they’re not so shocked when they get there.
The military?
And I know it’s hard because I’m not a mean person naturally.
And I so badly wanna be nice to them.
No, you should definitely be nice to ’em.
I guess this is the job we signed up for right?
No, no, no it’s not.
Just gotta suck it up.
That’s all. Just suck it up.
Be a big boy.
No.
[Guerra] Attention everyone.
I hope you all had a great summer and I know you are looking forward to a new exciting year.
[Student] School sucks. [Students laugh]
Okay, great.
And on that note, I’d like to introduce our new superintendent,
Mr. Peña, who has exciting information about our new state policies for textbooks.
Mr. Peña.
[Guerra applauds]
Thank you Principal Guerra, for that concise introduction.
And thank you all for being here.
I look forward to getting to know everybody
over the coming months.
And I suppose if there’s a virtue.
I’d like to focus on this semester,
Is that
it’d be that of personal responsibility…
Wait
[swing music]
I know you boys.
[Gene] Go, go, go, go, go, go.
[students cheer]
♪ I knew that you had eyes for her ♪
♪ And man I really burned ♪
Grab that boy.
What are you… who, what??
I’m sorry!
I’m so sorry.
I’m not looking, I promise I’m not looking.
Who?
♪ Turn around and start walk in’ away and leave her be ♪
[students whistle]
♪ Cause I don’t want no bird dog buggin’ me ♪
♪ Don ‘t want no bird dog buggin’ me ♪
[Guerra] So which one broke your window.
Not sure.
Okay.
We should go in there and start paddling them until we get a confession.
We’re not doing that.
Obviously, just a thought.
Where do these boys even get golf equipment from?
Oh, they probably stole it from the Del Rio Golf Club where they caddy.
They work at the Del Rio as in the Del Rio Country Club?
It’s nice, right?
I’ve never played there myself
but I’ve gone to a few high school championships there
and I gotta tell you.
[whistles]
And are these state championships
always played there?
At Del Rio?
As long as I can remember, yeah.
You know, my cousin is Chief of Police.
He can dust that ball for fingerprints.
All right, boys,
here’s the deal.
It was me.
I broke your window.
They all tried to stop me.
So you’re saying you did this on purpose? Hmm?
Where’d you learn to hit like that?
Look, whatever you’re gonna do,
just get it over with, okay?
All right, kudos for being honest.
Unfortunately for you
property damage is a very serious offense.
You boys are free to go.
Okay.
Come on, let’s go!
[JB sighs]
[gentle music]
[Felipe] What’s this guy doing here?
Looks like you boys are putting in some work.
Come on man.
We’re not bothering nobody out here.
So I’m assuming y’all don’t have money
to pay from my window.
So, I have a deal for you,
Every Saturday for the rest of the semester
you can come to my house and cut my grass
or we can meet here and practice.
[Joe scoffs]
Practice what?
How would you boys like to be
the first members of the San Felipe High School golf team?
[boys laughing]
Us?
Sure, why not?
Little coaching and right opportunities,
who knows, maybe we can make it to State.
Are you serious right now?
I mean, no offense sir,
but you did hit your head recently.
Look, you don’t think I know
how those people at the country club treat you?
Hmm?
Don’t you wanna show them what you’re made of,
that you’re just as good as any of them?
I’m in.
All right, that’s one.
Anybody else?
Yeah, me too.
Yes sir, I’m in.
Yeah, sure, why not?
What about you?
I’ll see you at your house on Saturday.
[lip flutters]
It’s all right.
All we need are four players.
No offense to Gene,
but we’re three and a half players at best.
Yeah, he’s right, sir.
Without Joe, we don’t stand a chance.
[JB sighs]
Hey Papa.
Oh hey.
How was school?
Eh, nothing special.
Nothing, huh?
Hand me that wrench.
Actually,
they asked me to join the new golf team today.
Yeah?
Does it pay more than the club?
I wouldn’t be getting paid
and I wouldn’t be a caddy.
They actually want me to be a player.
Player?
What do they want you to play,
the trumpet, the violin?
Golf.
Golf?
Oh, well better bring your sombrero anyway man,
’cause whenever you’ re invited to a gringo party,
you’re either the entertainment or the help.
And at least you were getting paid
being the help at the club, no?
I told him no.
That’s it.
Need help? Or?
Nah.
I ‘m goin’ inside.
[bright music]
♪ I want to be sad ♪
As people do.
Okay. [Laughs]
You remember Gayle?
Hi.
Hi.
Uh, um, Frank, did you not tell them I was coming?
Well, of course I did.
Told ’em about us.
Yeah, he hasn’t stopped talking about you for days.
Weeks.
He hasn’t stopped talking about you for weeks.
Next day I go to the infirmary
and I can barely look those boys in the eye
after the wringer we put ’em through.
I’m just about to leave
and I hear this little voice just go,
‘Sir,
sir.’
Like that.
I was not that bad.
I was not that bad.
Trust me,
you were in pretty bad shape.
So I go over there and I lean down, you know,
I think he’s gonna to give me a letter
for his mama or something like that.
And he says, ‘Sir,
aren ‘t you Frank Mitchell, the golf pro?’
This crazy bastard starts asking me for putting tips.
No, no, no, that was the next day, ass.
Oh no it wasn’t.
So what did you tell him?
I gave him golf tips, all up the boot of Italy.
What was I gonna do?
I can’t say no to the guy.
Still can’t.
Oh, come on, when do I ask you for anything?
Oh, come on.
Seriously-
Look at him.
He almost believes it himself.
[ladies chuckle]
So JB, Frank tells me
that you are starting a golf team at your high school.
Yeah, that’s right, yeah.
Our first practice is tomorrow.
And actually we can really use
a knowledgeable assistant coach.
What did I tell you?
[Gayle] There it is.
I rest my case.
Think about it.
All right?
Cheers.
So?
What?
Club’s closed Mondays, right?
God, do you ever stop?
No one’s there.
The boys gotta play on grass eventually.
Let me ask you something.
Are they any good?
Well, they, you know they, they can be.
You don’t even know.
Why does it even matter?
Well, well, of course it matters.
I don’t want a bunch of kids tearing up my course.
No, the most important thing is that people see
Mexican kids golfing.
All right, that’s good enough for now.
Good for who?
For the kids, for everybody.
People need to see us as more than just caddies
and cannon fodder.
Well, just think about it.
[metal clinking]
[Lucy] He looks thirsty.
Yeah, I want him to suffer a little bit.
Maybe he’ll change his mind.
What?
I ‘m, I’m kidding.
Here.
[JB sighs]
So this is what it might have felt like.
What?
For you to have a son of your own.
He even kinda looks like you.
That’s not what this is about.
Mm-hmm.
[door closes]
[metal clanking]
[metal clanking]
All right.
Think you made your point.
I get it.
Get what?
Okay, maybe I don’t get it.
Why don’t you want to join the team?
You obviously wanna play golf.
[Joe] I play golf every weekend.
I mean on a real course.
Where people can see you play.
My friends see me play.
I’m talking about important people.
Well, they’re important to me.
Look, you know what I mean.
All right, just some opinions matter more than others.
That ‘s all I’m saying.
It ‘s not fair, but that’s life.
The only opinion I care about is mine.
All right, well, tell me, Joe, what do you want?
Want?
Yeah, five, ten, twenty years from now.
What do you want from life?
You better figure it out.
‘Cause life is,
well, it’s a lot like golf.
Yeah, some days it’s smooth sailing on the fairway.
Other days you’re lost in the woods.
But as long as you can keep your eye on that flag
you can always hack your way back onto smooth ground.
But if you don’t know what you’re aiming for, then…
I don’t know.
[wind blowing]
Okay then maybe I’ll just say a few words, set expectations,
but jump in whenever you want.
All right, and then when it comes to technique
you’re the coach as far as I’m concerned.
So I just defer to whatever you want.
JB, stop trying to butter me up, all right?
I know what you need.
You need a white guy to schmooze the officials
and get you into tournaments.
This is not a regular thing, all right?
I’m not their coach.
You are.
Yeah, but Frank, come on, you love teaching the game.
Yeah, to people who want to learn and respect the game.
Yeah, but I don’t want to be a babysitter
to a bunch of juvenile delinquents
who just want to get outta detention.
[gentle music]
[Mario whistles]
[gentle music]
Good morning, sir.
Morning boys.
Why don’t you take a knee?
Y’all working on a sand trap down there?
Yes sir.
It’s a par three when we shoot from here to the near flag
and a par four when we shoot to the flag
at the bottom of the hill.
We just play it 18 times for a full round.
All right, well you boys probably recognize
Mr. Mitchell here from the country club, right?
Of course sir.
Yes.
Well, he’s a great instructor
and he’s agreed just this one time to come…
And you,
you boys built all this?
Yes, Mr. Mitchell.
Call me Coach.
Get you an extra nickel
if you get the grass stains outta the white leather.
Yes, sir.
[brush scratching]
Oye, ¿Qué onda?
Hey, Pollo.
Hey.
Where’s your crew?
Golf practice, I think.
Golf practice?
What golf practice?
The high school started a team.
Oh yeah?
And you weren’t good enough, and they left you behind?
Chingao man,
at least you know who your real friends are now.
Nah, I
they didn’t leave me behind.
I told them no.
What, you don’t want to play?
I ain’t gonna perform in front of rich bastards
who don’t respect me.
Oh, well you know what?
I completely agree with you.
I mean, why put yourself out there
where they can laugh at you.
Right.
That’s why I never take off my cage.
It’s my invisibility suit.
It tells the gringos, ‘Hey, I know my place.
You don ‘t gotta worry about me, huh?’
I mean, they’ll never respect you
but at least they can’t hurt you.
And that’s the important part.
That’s how I ended up here.
You done with the brush?
Yeah.
Oh.
Thanks, Pollo.
[Mario] We cleared out the smaller mesquite trees
through there but the nopales are kinda painful
to remove without gloves.
So we just treat ’em like sand traps…
Yeah, you really don’t want to hit into those nopales.
And this is where we put the most work.
Clearing all the roots was probably the hardest part.
Well, it’s a lot of work.
What do you think, Coach?
Well, I think if you can putt on these greens
you can put on anything.
I could help you out with that.
[Joe] So I guess we’re inviting everyone now?
Woohoo, boom, I told you, 50 cents cabrón!
Thought I’d stop by,
show you all how it’s done.
Coach Mitchell, you know Joe from the club, right?
Oh yeah.
I seen him at the club out there
hitting balls when nobody’s looking.
Yeah, well, I seen you too.
Hitting that bottle when nobody’s looking.
Hey, Joe, I don’t think-
Oh no, no, no, no, no.
Think you ‘re pretty good, don’t ya?
Let’s go find out.
[whack]
You got a natural fade.
Good.
Can you hit a draw?
Why would I want to hit a draw?
Cause if you’re gonna be in a tournament,
you’re gonna have to have all the shots.
Now, you got a good left to right.
Can you hit it right to left?
Yeah, I can.
Okay. Let’s see it.
[whack]
Nope.
Want me to show you how?
Nope, I got it.
All right.
[whack, whack] Nope.
Y ‘all don’t wear gloves?
Nah, never needed one.
Hmm.
Now wait, hold on.
What’s going on here?
I’m left-handed, sir,
but I can still hit it good this way, look.
Yeah, no, no, I, I understand.
Just turn around.
Stay with that position.
[whack]
Okay, what, what was going on with your foot?
It just feels more natural this way.
Natural, huh?
Don’t do that, looks strange.
Okay.
[whack]
Nope.
Hey, Lupe, you don’t,
you don’t lock your hands when you swing?
No, sir.
I messed my hands up in the fields
and it hurts if I try to lock ’em.
I understand it might hurt, but just, just try it.
Why don’t you just let us do it how we do it?
Yeah.
[JB scoffs]
Let you do it how you do it?
Well,
Lupe,
you used to work the fields, right?
We all did.
Well, so did I.
How’d you spot a newbie?
Uh, wear short sleeves on the first day.
Yeah, I did that.
I got burned pretty good.
And how’d the bosses treat the new guys?
[Lupe] Gave them the rows with the least tomatoes.
[Felipe] Don’t make no money on the bad rows.
That’s right.
You see, there are unwritten rules
that tell everybody you know what you’re doing.
And when you break those rules,
you get less opportunity.
Now, our goal here is to win tournaments, right?
And hopefully eventually make it to state championship.
First, I mean, we’ve gotta get on the course.
And the only way to do that is to play the game
the way it’s supposed to be played.
So that means when you guys show up here
even on your course to practice,
I want shirts tucked in and a belt, right?
And no shorts.
And, and lastly, and, and probably most importantly,
I don’t wanna hear Spanish on the course, ever.
All right, understood?
We gotta look and act like we belong here.
Got it?
Let’s get back to work.
[upbeat music]
♪ When the roll in’ wheel go round and round ♪
♪ All my money goes down, down ♪
♪ Stand there losing all my dough ♪
♪ He got no sense to know when to go ♪
♪ Oh that wheel goes round and round ♪
♪ Looking at the wheel go round and round ♪
♪ All my cash just like trash ♪
♪ Goes down, down, down ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ My pockets were full when I walked in the door ♪
♪ I won a little bit and played some more ♪
♪ Started to lose and needed to quit ♪
♪ If I could win just a little bit ♪
♪ Oh that wheel goes round and round ♪
♪ Looking at the wheel go round and round ♪
♪ All of my cash just like trash ♪
♪ Goes down, down, down ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ If I kept on play in’ I would soon be broke ♪
♪ I went outside just to take a smoke ♪
♪ Along came a gal with long blonde hair ♪
♪ Hey, baby, come over here ♪
♪ Oh that wheel goes round and round ♪
♪ Looking at the wheel go round and round ♪
♪ All of my cash just like trash ♪
♪ Goes down, down, down ♪
♪ Oh whoa ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ She put her hands up on my arms ♪
♪ Threw me a curve with all her charm ♪
♪ I took that woman all over town ♪
♪ She threw my money just round and round ♪
♪ Oh that wheel goes round and round ♪
♪ Look at that wheel go round and round ♪
♪ All of my cash just like trash ♪
♪ Goes down, down, down ♪
All right boys.
Let’s get everything together as quietly as possible.
It’s time to head out.
[whistling]
[Lupe] Uh oh.
[JB] Who is that?
That’s Pollo, the grounds keeper.
[Felipe] Oh man.
I’ll go talk to him.
All right.
How long do you go to jail for trespassing?
Ah, don’t worry about it.
You’re not going to jail.
Obviously, we’re just kids.
I’m wondering how long you’ll be going to jail.
[Frank] Hey, come on over.
He wants to show us something.
Alright
[tense music]
[Pollo] Now y’all are serious about this, huh?
About what?
This thing you started,
you’re not gonna quit on me?
Yeah, we’re serious.
Good, then you’re the ones I’ve been waiting for.
Come on in.
[soft dramatic music]
[Mario] Guys.
[Lupe] What?!
[Felipe] What, are you serious?
Look at all this stuff.
This is old man Herbert’s stuff.
Is this for us?
Yeah.
There’s so much stuff in here.
[Felipe] This is my size.
I call this set.
You know, Pollo,
maybe we better keep this whole situation between us, huh?
What situation?
The, the gear,
and us practicing on the course and all.
I mean, don’t want to get you in trouble.
What are they gonna do?
Put me in a cage? [Laughs]
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Oh, sorry, boys.
But caddies aren’t allowed in tournament play.
Oh, they’re not caddies.
Eugene Patterson.
You must be Coach Payne.
So glad we could squeeze you in.
So where are your players?
I’m Frank Mitchell.
I think you mean Coach Peña.
He’s the head coach.
Hey, hey.
Payne works too.
Thank you for having us.
And these are actually our players right here.
Oh, when we spoke on the phone
I just assumed you were American.
Well, you, you assumed right. [Chuckles]
Great.
Well,
good luck to you all.
Thank you Mr. Patterson.
Thank you.
Good thing we tucked in our shirts.
All right, Gene’s gonna be running around
keeping track of your scores for us.
So if you have a question for me or Coach Frank,
tell him, we’ll try and meet you at the next tee box.
Now look, you’re gonna have a lot of eyes on you out there
and you’re gonna have a tendency to over swing.
So don’t.
Just stay calm.
Frank!
Stay with…
Hey, Glenn. How are you?
Judge Cox, how are you?
Mr. Glenn.
Good to see you again.
Of course.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
This is Milton Cox.
This Mr. Peña.
He’s the superintendent
over at San Felipe.
That’s right. Yeah.
Yes.
Oh that’s great.
You got a boy in this tournament?
Yeah. Yeah.
Four, actually, the Mustangs outta San Felipe.
I didn’t realize San Felipe had a golf team.
Well, it’s our first year,
but wait ’til you see ‘ em on the course.
I mean, they took to it like ducks to water.
I think you will be genuinely impressed.
I ‘m, I’m sorry,
Mr. Patterson invited y’all?
Oh, Eugene, yeah.
He’s happy to have us here.
Excuse us.
Don.
It’s good to see you.
Good to see you again.
All right, everybody stand up straight now.
Are they looking over here?
Who?
Fix your shirt.
Look happy to be here for Christ’s sake.
All right dammit, not that happy.
It’s not the Mickey Mouse Club.
[man laughs]
They’re laughing at us.
Yeah just, just forget about that for a minute.
Look, if we wanna go to State
we have to get invited to more tournaments.
So you boys go out there.
Remember your etiquette, alright?
No joking around.
And stay serious, but don’t look angry
even if you hit a bad shot.
Now this might be the only tournament we ever get to play.
Well, the only thing you forgot to say
was have fun out there.
All right?
You too.
Right.
Now come on, let’s go warm up.
Have fun out there.
Pass your cards to the right, gentlemen.
[birds chirping]
[whack]
[audience applauds]
[tee slides into the grass]
[Judge Cox] Hopefully he plays golf better than he caddies.
[chuckles]
[tentative music]
♪ A one, a two, ♪
♪ A buckle up the shoe ♪
♪ Three, four, five, ♪
♪ Baby come alive ♪
♪ Left foot out, ♪
♪ Right foot in ♪
♪ Meter man, ♪
♪ Let the music begin ♪
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
[whack]
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
♪ Shaba daba da, ♪
♪ Shaba da ♪
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
[whack]
♪ Everybody dance the shaba daba doo tonight ♪
♪ Come see, ’cause I, tralalala ♪
♪ Swing once more, ♪
♪ Round the birdie floor ♪
♪ Step out, ♪
♪ Shuffle in ♪
♪ Meter man hit the course again ♪
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
♪ Shaba daba da, shaba da ♪
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
♪ Everybody dance the shaba daba doo tonight ♪
♪ A one, a two, ♪
♪ Buckle up the shoe ♪
♪ Three, four, five,
♪ Baby come alive ♪
♪ Left foot out,
♪ Right foot in ♪
♪ Meter man let the music begin ♪
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
♪ Shaba daba da, shaba da ♪
♪ Shaba daba doo ♪
♪ Everybody dance
♪ The shaba daba doo tonight ♪
Gentlemen, thank you all for participating
in the 16th annual Monte Christo Juniors Tournament.
[applause]
In first place,
Johnson High School with a score of 318!
[applause]
In second place…
Hey, boys, listen up.
I was just talking to Mr. Patterson over there.
He was very impressed the way you handle yourselves today.
Finally, in third place trailing close behind…
And he invited us to play
in another tournament next month.
Yeah!
Yay.
Congratulations.
Great sportsmanship.
[upbeat music]
[boys singing in Spanish]
Wa ha!
[boys singing in Spanish]
[boys singing in Spanish]
Food!
Food, food, food, food.
Food, food, food.
What do you say, Frank?
Get these boys some food?
I think it’s about time.
[boys cheer]
All right.
[café music]
I am getting a steak dinner.
How ’bout a hamburger?
Can we get pie too?
Why not?
[JB] I dunno about this last one.
I’m gonna get some.
They’re not gonna serve you.
They’re just gonna ignore ya ’til you leave.
Sorry.
Might be able to find food closer to Laredo.
This isn’t right.
Joe.
Can ‘t believe they didn’t wanna serve us.
Come here.
JB, what are you doing?
One second, Frank.
Excuse me.
How you doing?
Kitchen’s closed.
Look, I’m JB, this is Joe right here.
Our golf team just finished a tournament.
Hey, Arnie, this here Mexican speaks pretty good English
but apparently he don’t understand it.
Joe, come on.
Excuse me, ma’am.
What’s your problem?
I didn’t realize I had a problem.
Hey, Arnie, looks like we got a problem.
Sit down.
Well, hey, Curly.
What you gonna do with that bat?
[men yelling]
[glass shatters]
[Felipe] Shit, what was that?
You can’t speak English.
I don’t understand English, huh?
[glass shatters]
Whoa!
[waitress] Hey! Hey!
Joe!
Joe get over here!
Joe, come on.
That’s a fore!
[JB] Get in the car.
[tires peeling]
♪ When you need me the most ♪
[boys laughing]
Did you guys see that?
That thing broke.
Joe.
Holy shit, Joe.
Joe!
You’re still coming over the top a little bit.
I want you to work on that before the next tournament.
[boys laugh]
[Joe] Yes sir.
[Boys] Mustangs, Mustangs, Mustangs!
Pull the car over.
Mustangs.
Quiet!
Pull the car over.
All right, all right.
Get outta the car.
Come on.
[Joe] Don’t grab me like that.
Let me ask you something.
How’d that make you feel?
Hmm?
You feel good?
Yeah, it did.
What do you think they’re gonna do
to the next group of Mexicans that walks in that diner?
Well maybe they’ll think twice before insulting one.
Or maybe they’ll just crack their skulls on sight.
Look, I fought and almost died for this country.
Now people like that treat me like dirt all the time.
You think I don’t wanna break things?
How is that gonna change how they feel about us?
All right.
Dammit, Joe.
[grill clangs]
Go fetch the paper.
Yes sir.
The dog got to it again.
Finish loading up the truck.
I’ll be out there in a minute.
[Joe] Yes, sir.
[upbeat music]
[crowd chatter and laughter]
[crowd chatter and laughter]
Put it underneath that tree.
Hey Juanca, make some space.
Hey, Mr. putt putt!
Hey.
Hola, mijo.
Hey, look who it is.
Joe, can you believe it?
Check it out.
Shut up, put this away.
What do you mean, you’re famous, man.
Guys, what are you up to?
Did you not hear?
Hear what?
You know, Joe’s in the-
Oh, Senor Raul’s saying
that he’s gonna out grill you this year.
Ah, that old man’s always talking crap.
Go get me those chairs.
Why don’t you two come help me with the chairs?
What’s up with you? [MAN] Joe!
Fore!
Hey Daniela.
You see my boy in today’s newspaper?
All right, come on.
Oh yeah, I think I saw that
when I used the paper to light the grill.
Okay, well, she doesn’t care, so…
[Felipe] Oh, she does.
Gene and I are also on the team.
I’m supposed to be team captain, but you know.
[Adelio]Hola, mija.
These guys messing with you?
Hi, Mr. Treviño.
I guess I gotta get those chairs on my own, huh?
Oye Adelio, tell me something.
Raul, my son tells me you’ve been talking.
No, no, no, I just wanna find out
how a vato like you can have a dandy for a son, !¡Mira!
You know what I’m saying?
I know you were thinking the same thing.
Yeah, he must take after his mother.
Damn right he did.
Thank God for that.
Oye, did I ever tell you that I used to do body work
in San Antonio for a golfer named Carl Peters?
No.
Are you serious?
Hey, Mr. Raul, did you know that Felipe here
is actually team captain?
Oh, the captain?
¿Qué pasa? Then for sure,
you know Carl Peters.
I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m El Capitán pero.
Can you help my dad with the chairs?
I ‘ll be, I’ ll be right back.
Hey,
I just wanted to say thanks for saving me back there.
Looks like you still got some bigger problems
to deal with.
How do you figure?
You’re the cockiest guy in school,
you show off about everything.
What? Come on.
And now that you actually have something to brag about,
you play it down.
Well, maybe I just don’t see what the fuss is all about.
Well, then you’re dumber than I thought.
Wanna walk with me?
Butterflies, huh?
Hmm?
I, your-
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I don’t,
I don’t know why I get so tongue-tied with you.
I have wondered about that myself.
You don’t find me interesting or what?
No, no, no, no.
It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s not that.
It ‘s just, it’s just,
when you look at me
and the stuff I usually say to people just seems,
I don’t know.
Come on.
[happy music]
♪ You alone possess me ♪
♪ I’m all yours, caress me ♪
♪ Say you love me ♪
Ready?
♪ Much as I love you ♪
♪ When you are near I don’t wanna hear ♪
[Daniela] Nobody knows this,
but I come up here with a notebook
and write stories.
[Joe] What kind of stories?
Just short stories, for now.
Little things about the town.
But one day I want to write a real book.
Tell the world about our life here.
I don’t know anyone in this town that writes books.
Me neither.
That’s why I wanna go to the city.
You see that red building there,
just beyond the water tower?
[Joe] Yeah.
That’s the furthest I’ve ever been from home.
My mom says the city is no place for a girl.
Sometimes I think she’s right.
But if you can be a golfer,
maybe she’s wrong.
♪ You love me ♪
♪ Unless it’s true ♪
[sighs]
[fire roars]
[clanging]
[tense music]
Papa no! [Banging on window]
Stop!
You think these people respect you, huh?
Let me go!
You stupid little wetback golfer
with your stupid hat.
No!
You’re never going to be anything to them.
They’re laughing at you.
You hear?
You’re an embarrassment.
[somber music]
[birds chirp]
Mr. Glenn,
good to see you.
Judge Cox,
how are you?
Mr. Peña, wh-wh-what brings you out today?
Well, we got 10:30 tee time with Frank and Gayle.
Is that right?
I’m Lucy.
Oh, I apologize.
This is my wife, Lucy.
Yes, this is my wife Alice,
and this is Milton’s wife, Margaret.
It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lucy.
And what a bold idea for a lady
to wear trousers on a golf course.
[Margaret chuckles]
I must say the idea never would’ve occurred to me.
Well, I mean, we really couldn’t ask
for better weather, right, for golfing?
[group chuckles]
What time do y’all tee off?
Well, also at 10:30 with Frank and Gayle.
Oh.
Hey, sorry we’re late, we were hitting balls.
[Frank chuckles]
Did we miss the small talk?
JB, I assume you already commented on the weather, right?
[chuckles]
Frank didn’t tell us we were playing
with other couples today, so.
Did I not?
No.
Oh, sorry.
Well, Don here, he asked me to bring along
another couple for my team, so I figured, hey,
it’s a great time for y’all to get acquainted.
Mm-hmm.
Well, see, the thing is, Frank,
Don and I like to play for stakes
and I’m not sure that the Peñas will be comfortable
with the amount that we’re gonna be playing for.
Yeah, I think, Frank, you should just go and play…
We’re comfortable playing for stakes.
How much?
Lucy
$50.
[Frank] Oh, come on, Judge. [Judge Cox] What?
[Frank] That’s a lotta money.
Yeah, that’s a bit rich for us.
So sorry about that.
We’ll do it.
Lucy, hold on a second.
Lucy, what are you doing, we can’t afford that.
Well, that won’t matter if we win.
Look, $50, I mean, that’s a bit rich for us, too.
Oh, come on, Frank.
You and JB are better than them.
When are you gonna get another chance to impress these guys?
Huh?
I mean, will you two just grow a pair.
Doesn’t have 50 bucks.
[Mr. Glenn chuckles]
So, don’t worry about it.
All right Judge, tell you what.
$50, I mean, that’s a lotta cash.
I don’t think I have $50 on me.
But what do you say we play for clubs, hmm?
[golf clubs rattle]
If you win, you get our sets.
If we win, vice versa.
[Cox chuckles]
Well Frank, we have real nice sets of clubs
and no offense, Mr. Peña,
but your clubs aren’t the same value as ours.
Yeah, these are my grandfather’s clubs,
so they really have no value to anybody but me.
Yeah.
Now, wai-wai-wait, hold on.
Frank, is that a McGregor set you got there?
Yeah, basically the same set Middlecoff won the Masters with.
Well okay,
let’s go.
[Cox chuckles] [women cheer]
[soft, jazzy music]
♪ Time to rock ♪
♪ I wanna rock ♪
♪ Time to roll ♪
♪ I wanna roll ♪
♪ I got to move ♪
[Frank] Where you been hiding her?
Wow.
[people applaud]
♪ Time for blues ♪
♪ Got no time for blues ♪
♪ It’s time to rock ♪
♪ It’s time to roll ♪
♪ Got a date ♪
♪ Got a special date ♪
♪ I can’t be late ♪
All right, let’s go.
♪ This is the time ♪
♪ Yes, this is the time ♪
♪ Rise and shine ♪
♪ Got to rise and shine ♪
♪ Made up my mind ♪
♪ Just made up my mind ♪
♪ I gotta rock ♪
♪ I gotta rock ♪
♪ I gotta roll ♪
♪ I gotta roll ♪
[jazzy saxophone music]
♪ Each time you’re near me ♪
♪ Your love just cheers, cheers me ♪
♪ I get that feeling, ♪
♪ I need some loving ♪
♪ No time to guess, you do the rest ♪
♪ You’ll get a thrill ♪
♪ You get a thrill ♪
♪ I bet you will ♪
♪ I bet you will ♪
♪ Get some pep ♪
♪ Bet you get some pep ♪
♪ With every step ♪
[Cox groans]
♪ I got you down ♪
♪ And do the rock ♪
♪ And do the roll ♪
♪ Baby, rock and roll ♪
[Lucy cheers]
[Margaret sighs]
Should I try a wedge?
What difference does it make?
JB, come here.
Girls, come here.
Look, if the idea here is to win these guys over,
I think it’s backfiring on us.
Hit it.
Lucy, Gayle, you’re too good.
[Lucy chuckles]
We need you to throw the round.
What?
No, no.
We are humiliating them in front of their wives.
Well, it’s what they asked for, isn’t it, Gayle?
I don’t know, Lucy.
I mean, Mr. Glenn’s my boss, after all.
He’s mine, too.
JB, these are your grandfather’s clubs.
Yeah Frank, I mean,
I’ll find you another set of clubs.
It’s not about that…
But look, if you wanna win these guys over,
the time to do it is right now.
Otherwise, I think things
are gonna get really difficult for us.
By that, I mean the boys.
Well, I just don’t understand…
[Judge Cox] Hey Gayle, you’re up.
Gayle, it’s okay.
All right, let’s go, come on.
Okay.
[soft piano music]
[couples cheer]
[soft piano music]
[couples cheer]
Great shot, darling.
Thank you, baby.
Very impressive game, fellows.
Yeah, we were sweating it there
for a minute, but we pulled it together
on the back nine there, didn’t we Don?
Absolutely.
[golf clubs clank]
Wow, would you look at these beauties?
Hey look, fellows.
JB ‘s clubs, they’ re not worth very much,
and I think there’s some sentimental value to them.
Why don’t we just let them go?
[Judge Cox] Are you kidding me?
I won those by beating the great Frank Mitchell.
I’m gonna hang them on my office wall like a trophy buck.
[Cox laughs]
What do you think Mr. Peña?
Well, I think, uh,
you definitely earned some bragging rights today, sir.
Congratulations.
See there, Frank?
It’s a true gentleman in defeat.
I respect that.
Good game.
[Judge Cox] All right, ladies, drinks are on me.
[women cheer]
[Margaret] Great job, honey.
Did you know why I always take the long way home
to avoid the park?
It’s all the mothers, you know?
Laughing, chatting, bonding while their kids play together.
They make me feel like there’s something wrong with me.
[JB sighs]
Do you know how hard I’ve prayed for children?
I think about how unfair it all seemed.
That feeling of being left out.
Maybe that’s why I wanted to beat those ladies so bad today.
It’s so stupid.
Lucy.
It’s not stupid,
I understand.
Yeah.
I know you do.
[soft, tender music]
[Lucy giggles]
Okay, all right, that’s…
[Lucy laughs]
Okay!
[Lupe] Semper fidelis?
Semper fidelis.
It means always faithful.
That’s the motto of the United States Marine Corps.
My dad wants me to be a Marine.
Yeah.
Nah, come in the Air Force with me.
It pays better, right?
Man, they won’t let no Mexicans fly planes.
Then which one you’re gonna join?
None of them.
You stupid or something?
Why not?
It’s better than working the fields.
You boys don’t have to join the military to be somebody.
Why not Coach?
You did.
It’s different for us.
How many medals did you get, Coach Mitchell?
More than I deserved.
How about you, Coach?
No medals for me.
Why not?
Because they don’t respect us.
I don’t need no medals to love my country.
Go Mustangs.
[All] Go Mustangs. Go Mustangs.
Go Mustangs.
[swing music]
♪ I don’t want to set the world on fire ♪
♪ I just want to start a flame in your heart ♪
♪ In my heart, I have but one desire ♪
♪ And that one is you, no other will do ♪
♪ I’ve lost all ambition for worldly acclaim ♪
♪ I just want to be the one you love ♪
♪ And with your admission that you feel the same ♪
♪ I’ll have reached the goal I’m dreaming of, believe me ♪
♪ I don’t want to set the world on fire ♪
♪ I just want to start a flame in your heart ♪
♪ I’ve lost all ambition for worldly acclaim ♪
♪ I just wanna be the one you love ♪
♪ And with your admission, that you’ll feel the same ♪
♪ I’ll have reached the goal I’m dreaming of, believe me ♪
♪ I don’t want to set the world on fire ♪
♪ I just want to start a flame in your heart ♪
[kiss smacks]
Okay, stop, stop.
Hey, come here, one more, one more.
[kiss smacks]
Hey,
is everything all right?
What do you mean?
I don’t know.
It just feels like something’s on your mind.
Can’t a girl just think?
Well, it depends what you’re thinking about.
Joe.
What?
Dani.
Is that you?
Yeah mama, it’s me.
[birds chirp]
[whack]
[audience applauds]
Home stretch, all right.
Two more holes.
[JB chuckles]
And we’re going to State.
JB, I’m going to 18.
You coming?
Yeah.
See you at the last hole.
[whack]
[golf clubs clank]
Hey,
put the flag back!
I can’t see the hole.
[whack]
[golf clubs clank]
[clink]
[crowd cheers and applauds]
Hey, what’s your problem?
Joe!
What’s your problem, huh?
[Judge Cox] Hey, that boy has to be disqualified.
He is, he’s leaving.
He stepped on my line.
Yeah, you gotta leave.
What are you doing, Joe?
[JB sighs]
We’re tossing his score.
Sorry boys.
Season’s over.
Can ‘t we use Gene’s score instead?
Yeah, but,
lemme see your score card, Gene.
JB.
Gene.
I think I had a pretty good day.
[Frank laughs]
You think you had a pretty good day?
You’re better than me.
Wait, does that mean?
That means we’re going to State, boys.
Oh, yes!
Yes!
[gate rattles]
State championship, here we come.
[JB laughs]
Congratulations JB.
I know how much this means to you.
The thing we gotta figure out is
what to do about Joe.
Oh, will you let go of that?
Listen, the truth is, that Tim Cox kid,
he’s a little punk.
Yeah, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
Well, I’m not saying Joe was right.
I’m not saying that.
Ah, you don’t get it.
Yeah, I do.
No, I ‘m saying you don’t get it.
No, I do.
Listen to me.
The only way these boys are gonna advance in life
is by playing by the rules,
period.
There’s no other way for us.
You remember that second day after we got
to Monte Casino and I was ordered
to send your regiment across the Gary River?
But you younger guys,
you didn’t know it,
but it was a suicide mission.
All the commanders knew it.
I never told you this,
but I went to Major Wingrove’s tent
and I told him I wasn’t gonna do it.
I wasn’t gonna send you boys across that river.
He gave me two options.
He said I could follow orders and be promoted,
or I could refuse and be court martialed, but either way,
he was gonna send you boys across that river.
And in the end, I played by the rules,
and I got my promotion and I got my medals.
And you boys, you got sent into the meat grinder.
And we lost 1,300 that day.
The rules.
There ain’t a day that goes by
that I don ‘t wish that I’d left that meeting in handcuffs.
I’m telling you, this is a bad idea.
What are you talking about?
We gotta celebrate.
Come on, we can’t be a mile away
from the border and not visit our motherland.
!¡AÁndale, vamos!
[crickets chirp]
The lady at the motel said there’s a raft
that can take us across.
There.
Are we going to Mexico or the Land of the Dead?
!¡Vamos pollito!
[boat creaks]
[wolves howl]
[clears throat]
[in Spanish] You been doing this a while?
Cool.
[mariachi music]
I love the vibe here.
I know, right?
Feels like home somehow.
OÓrale, this is our home, this is our roots.
[men mumbles]
Okay.
I got this.
[in Spanish] Excuse me.
How you doin’?
Americans?
No man, we’re Mexican.
Mother of God…
Okay.
What are you drink in’?
Tequila, what else?
Son of a…
Mexicans, huh?
Where are you from?
My grandparents were from Monterrey.
The little flowers from Monterrey.
And you… the family… Monterrey?
Sorry?
Sorry, what?
Sorry what, pocho?
So what?
Your grandma didn’t teach you real Spanish?
Take it easy.
Hey, hey, hey!
Look at me.
I’m an American.
[drunken yelling]
[men laugh]
Let’s get out of here, man.
[in Spanish] Say hi to your grandmother for me.
And to yours too.
[kiss smacks]
But mine already passed away.
Hey, hold on guys, I forgot something.
Man, great idea, buddy.
Shut up.
Hey, take it Felipe, come on.
[glass shattering] [man shouting]
Guys, go!
Oh shit!
[in Spanish] Grab those little bastards.
[energetic jazzy music]
Go, go, go.
Go, go, go.
♪ ♪
[brakes squeal]
♪ ♪
[Felipe] Go, go, go!
♪ ♪
Go, go, go, go, go.
♪ ♪
Guys, don’t stop, come on!
♪ ♪
Go, go, go!
♪ ♪
Hey!
Hey!
Señor! Señor!
♪ ♪
Hey!
Señor!
♪ ♪
[water splashes]
♪ ♪
[boys laugh]
[slapping]
How much longer?
Why, are you nervous?
Why would I be nervous?
Oh.
Oh my, Joe!
[Joe laughs]
[Joe] Don’t be looking.
[Daniela] Where are we going?
Okay.
I’m coming up on a stop,
it’s getting a little bumpy.
Here we go.
Okay.
Okay.
All right, no peeking.
Okay.
Okay.
[bike clangs]
Okay, you can take it off now.
This is it, right?
The red building near the water tower?
The furthest you’ve been from home?
You remembered.
Of course I did.
This is sweet, Joe.
Yeah, well I wanted to bring you here
because we’re both gonna be done with school
in a couple of months,
and I was hoping that we could take
the next steps together.
Joe.
And I’m gonna be moving outta my dad’s house.
I can’t afford no fancy place right away,
but my tia, she has a small house
on her property and she said
that we could stay there.
Joe, I’m moving to Austin.
What?
I got accepted to a writing program that starts in August.
God, I’m sorry, I was gonna tell you after your tournament.
No, no, no, it’s okay.
The whole thing has been so crazy.
I sent them one of my stories
thinking I’d never hear back,
but they loved it.
Can you believe it?
They actually loved it.
Wow, I’m happy for you.
You always wanted to move to the city.
Well, I was hoping
that you would come with me.
To Austin?
What am I gonna do there?
Anything you want.
They have golf courses there, right?
You can get a job there.
Come on, they’re never gonna hire someone like me.
Well, maybe you could go to school, too.
School?
Yeah, right, go to school.
Well, I don’t know.
We’ll figure it out, right?
Doesn’t matter, as long as we’re together.
What was that story about?
The one that you sent in,
was I in it?
You?
I ‘m sorry, I didn’t mean…
It was about me and my abuelita.
Your grandma.
What?
Nothing.
I ‘m just surprised, that’s all.
About what, exactly.
That people in the city would find that interesting.
So, what?
The only interesting thing in my life
is you and your little golf team?
Yeah, well a lot of girls would be happy
that their boyfriend’s in the state championship.
Oh, lot of girls, really?
Yeah, but it’s okay because that story’s exciting, too.
[Daniela sighs]
What is wrong with you?
With me?
Nothing.
I just don’t want them to laugh at you, that’s all.
You know, the little wetback who writes about
her abuela’s enchiladas.
[somber music]
[Cox] Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the 1957 Texas State Championship.
[crowd applauds]
[JB] It’s a two-day tournament,
so I need you to play conservatively
until we get comfortable on the course.
Now, they’re only gonna count our top four scores,
but I need all five of you to play
like it counts in case we need your score, understood?
Look, this is what we worked towards, okay?
The stage doesn’t get much bigger than this.
It’s time to perform.
You boys ready?
Yes, you are.
One, two, three.
[All] Mustangs.
All right, go warm up.
[claps] Come on, boys.
[sighs]
Oh, we got a wily one here.
[whack]
Oh, so close.
Hey, wait here, try this nine.
Can you watch this?
[boys laugh]
Uh-oh.
That’s it,
that’s the one.
[chain rattles]
[motor revs]
Yo! [Laughing]
Hey, stop!
Oh look, a spot opened up.
[upbeat, jazzy music]
♪ ♪
[audience applauds]
♪ ♪
[slap]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[audience applauds]
♪ ♪
[audience applauds]
♪ ♪
[Frank laughs] Woo!
Yeah, Joe!
Looks like we’re in second place.
By how many strokes?
Don’t worry about it alright?
Just keep doing what you’re doing.
We’ll be in a strong position for tomorrow.
[whack]
[audience applauds]
[whack]
[audience applauds]
[whack]
[audience applauds]
[golf clubs clank]
Joe Treviño.
You’re under arrest.
Wait, hold on.
What’s going on?
Stay back. He’s under arrest.
No, this is a mistake.
[Officer] You stay back, or you’re going to jail, too.
Hey.
He was there, too.
The both of them was at my diner.
[people faintly speaking in background]
Hey.
What’s the word?
Still waiting.
What did the officials decide?
Well, he didn’t finish the last hole,
so we gonna have to use Gene’s score as a backup.
Yeah, and?
That put us in fifth.
Fifth place, I mean…
Can we come back from that?
[people faintly speaking in background]
Not without Joe.
[door creaks]
JB, you can come on in now.
Frank, you too.
Peña, you care to have a seat?
No, I think I’ll stand, sir, thank you.
Joe, you all right?
I’m afraid not, the young man refuses to talk,
but we have all the evidence we need at this point.
[ball thuds]
You are the Judge after all.
Frank, stay outta this.
You don ‘t think I know you’ ve been sneaking these boys
on this our course at night?
[Cox]But it’s true, I am the Judge,
and boys make mistakes from time to time.
As you know, I have a son his age,
and I just don ‘t think there’s any need
to ruin this young man’s future
over one bad decision, so
I got the diner owners to drop the charges,
under the condition that the window damage
is repaid in full,
and the boys do some kind of community service.
Of course, of course,
they ‘ll do whatever’s required, right?
[sighs] Absolutely, thank you, sir.
And one final condition.
Yes, sir.
The San Felipe golf team has dissolved permanently.
Sir, I-
You’ve had an impressive run
but I think we can all agree
that this little experiment has run its course.
I’m sorry, JB.
[Judge Cox] Cliff, you can go ahead
and take off his cuffs now.
[cuffs jingles and rattles]
It was me.
Excuse me?
That’s my ball.
I broke the windows.
Wait, Coach…
I take full responsibility.
Joe and the team will finish the tournament with Frank.
No, no, JB, you really shouldn’t.
Just hold on a second, Don.
We were willing to pardon this young man’s actions, but I don’t think the law will be as lenient with you in this case.
I don’t expect that the School Board will either.
Now, I appreciate what you’re doing for these boys.
It shows that you’re a man of character.
I respect that.
Now, Don tells me you’ve showed an interest in joining this club, is that right?
I mean, Don, don’t you think you could make an exception for a man of Mister Peña’s caliber?
Uh, yes, yes, I-I think so.
There you have it, no one goes to jail.
No one loses their job, and you become the first Mexican member of the Del Rio Country Club.
Sounds like a win for everybody to me. [Laughs]
What do you say, JB?
You should choose your next words carefully, Mister Peña.
Or I promise you, you’ll never step foot on a Texas golf course again.
Good luck to you and your boy, sir.
Man of character, I respect that.
They’re gonna need it.
You son of a…
JB…
No, Don,
that boy should still be disqualified.
[Mr. Glenn] On what ground?
Well, I don’t know, dammit just do something!
[somber music]
[door clanking]
Hey.
How’d you get me out?
No, Principal Guerra did.
Chief Reyes is my dad’s cousin.
No, hombre, your abuela Vidalia was my mom’s aunt.
Yes, I, yes, okay, we’re double related.
Your abuela was Vidalia Ortiz?
She was.
[chuckles] Vidalia was my great aunt, man.
¿Marranito?
Look at you.
You lost weight!
I-I guess we’re cousins too,
that’s Del Rio for you.
Yeah.
Sí, sí.
[somber music]
[JB sighs]
[somber music]
[JB sighs]
[somber music]
[fridge door thuds]
[whack]
[somber music]
[JB sighs]
[ball smacks JB]
Pollo, is that you?
Yeah.
What are you doing?
What are you doing out here, cabrón?
What does it look like?
Celebratin’!
Fifth place.
Oh, you come out here to feel sorry for yourself, huh?
Why don’t you take your pity party somewhere else?
‘Cause your salty tears are going to kill my grass.
Mm, okay.
You kids today, all act
like the world owes you something.
I got news for you.
This country is not your mama’s pecho.
I-I-I’m not looking for pity.
Hmm?
And I’ll tell you something else.
I serve my country.
Oh, that was you?
Yeah, yeah, just like everybody else.
I guess the only difference is when we came back there wasn’t parades or fireworks or invitations to the White House.
There’s no thanks for our service.
It’s like we fought for someone else’s country.
You know, like, I don’t know,
like we didn’t count.
[deeply inhales] Oh, ow. [Grunts]
Pollo, are you all right?
My heart, that’s such a sad story.
[chuckles]
Forget it, come on.
Hey, you know what?
I served in the war too.
I fought, you know, the war to end all wars, the Great War.
But you know what these vatos never gave me?
A gas mask, huh.
You ever been in a trench with mustard gas and no gas mask?
No.
No, I didn’t think so.
But you want a parade, huh?
Yeah, we can have a parade with balloons, huh?
Okay, you had it worse than me.
Is that supposed to make me feel better
or something like that?
Well,
I guess nobody ever told you, huh?
Life ain’t fair.
I mean, I didn’t ask for this face.
Ah, come on, it’s not that bad.
But you know, I-I understand
if people are jealous when they look at me.
[JB scoffs]
Oh.
My brother Chucho, he can’t even stand in the same picture with me ’cause I make him look bad.
Mm, right.
You know, that’s just life.
Sometimes you land on the green, sometimes you’re in the bunker, but you always play it as it lies.
But I tell you one thing.
Nobody can stop a man who can get out of a bunker.
[birds chirping]
All right, everybody out.
[car door slams]
Come on.
[car door slams]
All right, everybody huddle up,
I got somebody here wants to say a few words to you.
[birds chirping]
Morning, fellas.
Coach.
Hey, Coach.
Just wanted to, uh,
wish you luck.
And, well,
also wanted to apologize.
Apologize for what?
Hey, this ain’t your fault, Coach.
No, I’m not talking about yesterday.
I’m talking about this whole year.
You guys ever heard of Bobby Jones?
Probably the greatest golfer of all time.
Yeah.
That’s right.
Yeah, he used to say that golf was played
on a five-inch course
the space between your ears.
Right, this game is,
this game is mental.
Right, your real opponent
isn’t out there on the course.
It’s right here.
Now, if I’m being honest, when I started this team,
I just wanted to be a member of that club right there.
I showed you boys the rules of the game.
You know, how to smile, how to act, how to dress,
showed you boys how to fit in so they wouldn’t laugh at you.
So
They wouldn’t laugh at me.
Yeah, all I wanted was for them to accept us.
Today’s different.
Today, you have the opportunity to make ’em respect us.
Now, these teams, they’re the best in the state, and they’ve had access to a lot of things you boys haven’t.
Best courses, top-of-the-line gear.
[scoffs] Probably a better coach.
But the best golfer isn’t the one with the fanciest clubs or the nicest shoes or any of that stuff.
It’s the one who can summon the will to keep swinging when things get tough.
Until you-your hands are bleeding, you got sweat on your face and sand in your eyes but you keep moving towards that flag.
And that’s you boys, every single one of you.
All right, you, you belong here.
Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
Not even me.
Let ‘s get ‘ em, Mustangs on three, okay, come on, okay.
One, two, three.
[All] Mustangs!
[dramatic music] [thunder rolls]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[golf bag thuds]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music] [rain pattering]
[dramatic music]
[birds chirping]
[whack]
Good shot.
We ‘re in first, aren’t we?
[sighs] Yes.
But look, I want you to play like you’re behind, all right?
Stay focused.
Bring it home.
[birds chirping]
[window knocking]
I’m sorry, I was about…
Can you do me a favor?
I got my tractor with a range armor in it over there.
Can you keep an eye on it for me for like say 30 minutes?
Sure. Yeah.
The keys are in the ignition.
Okay.
You got 30 minutes.
[door clicks and rattles]
Thanks Pollo!
[door thuds]
[whack]
[audience applauds]
[tractor engine purrs]
[audience applauds in background]
You grounded your club in the sand.
That’s a two-stroke penalty.
I did not ground my club.
I say you did.
[birds chirping]
But you’re lying.
Yeah, well, it’s your word against mine.
Who’s gonna believe a wetback?
That makes you mad, huh?
[dramatic music]
What are you gonna do about it?
Do something.
Come on, Joe, let it go.
Come on.
[dramatic music]
Do something.
Hit me, you stupid wetback.
[dramatic music]
[JB deeply sighs]
[dramatic music]
[golf bag thuds]
[dramatic music]
[dramatic music]
[tap]
[dramatic music]
[audience cheers]
[JB laughs]
[dramatic music] [audience cheers]
So proud.
Thanks Coach.
I’m so proud of you.
[everyone cheers]
I’m proud of you.
I’m proud of you.
Here’s your trophy, Coach.
Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute.
What about the award ceremony?
Doesn ‘t look like the weather’s gonna let us do it this year.
Ho-hold on.
That’s bullshit.
Maybe next year.
Shame on you, Roberts.
[dramatic music]
Hey, come on boys, get your heads up.
Listen, today, you boys showed honor and dignity, right?
You earned your right to be here.
So, I want you to straighten your backs, raise your chins, and march through that Clubhouse and show your respect for the game and for yourselves.
JB.
It’s okay.
Felipe tuck in your shirt.
Everybody, straighten up.
Come on, boys, I’ll lead you there myself, come on.
It’s fine, Coach, we can do this.
[inspirational music]
Take this with you.
[inspirational music]
[people chattering in background]
[chattering silences]
[inspirational music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[crowd cheering]
[crowd cheering continues]
[crowd cheering continues]
[crowd cheering continues]
You did it, yes!
[crowd cheering continues]
[inspirational music]
[triumphant trumpet music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[cans clacking]
[brush swooshes]
[mattress rips]
[mattress thumps]
[footsteps crunching]
[hands clapping]
[broom sweeps]
JB.
You got a call.
[gentle music]
No, it’s too hot. [JB laughs]
Hello?
[Joe] Hey, Coach, it’s Joe.
Hey, Joe, what’s going on?
I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be able to make tomorrow’s tee time.
No, it’s all right.
How about, uh, how about Sunday?
[Joe] I don’t think I can make that either.
Hey, everything okay, Joe?
[gentle music]
I think so.
I finally got my eye on the flag.
[JB scoffs]
Bye, Coach.
Bye, Joe.
[gentle music]
[JB chuckles]
[phone clicks]
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
