SWEETSTUFF

It has been almost 20 years since Tin Cup hit the big screen and set the modern-day standard for a golf/action/romance/comedy movie that appeals to both golfers and non-golfers alike. Now, for the first time in two decades, a new feature length motion picture with an intriguing golf-related theme promises to become an iconic part of golf culture in the tradition of Tin Cup.

The Squeeze, which hits theaters April 17 as well as on many of your favorite electronic devices, has many of the same fun elements of golf as Tin Cup, but is much different in many ways since it is a caper movie more than a comedy and the ending is much more unpredictable. And the fact that it is based on a true story and actual events makes it that much better.

The Squeeze is an escapade about a notorious gambler who discovers a modest young man in a small rural town with uncommon golf skills. Seeing his potential, the gambler convinces him to abandon his dreams of winning the US Open and start playing in high-stakes matches. They don’t lose. The stakes grow higher and higher until the game becomes “life or death.”

Based on a true story, The Squeeze is written and directed by a true golf aficionado--Terry Jastrow--who has seven-Emmy awards to his credit as a television sports director and has directed on 6 Olympic Games, Super Bowl XIX, 22 US Open Championships, 20 British Open Championships and is making his feature film directorial debut. Jastrow is also producing with his wife, actress Anne Archer, (“Fatal Attraction,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger”); Michael Doven (“Mission Impossible II,” “The Last Samurai,” “Minority Report”); Brian McCormack (“The Lucky Ones”) and George Parra (“Sideways,” “The Descendants,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle”).

The film stars Chris McDonald (“Happy Gilmore,” “Requiem for a Dream”) and Jeremy Sumpter (“Peter Pan,” “Friday Night Lights”). Also starring are Michael Nouri (“Flashdance,” “The Proposal,” “Damages”), Katherine LaNasa (“The Campaign,” “Alfie”) and Jillian Murray (“Never Back Down,” “Cougar Hunting”). Also featured is Jason Dohring (Veronica Mars).

Sumpter, who plays “Augie”—the unknown but seriously skilled golfer who is recruited by the gambler “Riverboat” to make himself a small fortune and is played by McDonald—was cast from thousands of submissions with an interesting requirement by Jastrow. The actor for this role had to be a five handicap or less so that the golf scenes would be authentic, something this movie does with aces. Sumpter, who actually plays to a plus one handicap, was one of seven or eight actors that Jastrow auditioned at Bel Air Country Club to test his golfing chops under pressure.

Even though the movie is Hollywood entertainment, the producers say that 80 percent of the story is based on the true story of Keith Flatt, an aspiring professional in the 70s and early 80s who played in underground golfing matches with high stakes gamblers betting on them. It really is an unwritten, unspoken, untouched aspect of golf in the days where more money could be made hustling than on the professional tours.

“I knew Keith was from a small town in Texas,” said Jastrow, “and surely knew he was a great golfer... so we asked him about his life and he told us this story. He was a guy with a modest, humble beginning who entered his city’s amateur championship and won it by 15 shots, setting the course record. There was a big-time gambler making his way across the United States from Mississippi to Las Vegas and he got hooked up with him. Young Keith didn’t look anything like a champion golfer,” Jastrow continued, “but he never lost. They got run out of town, went to Las Vegas, and got involved in a game with a notorious Las Vegas gambler... and Keith got caught in a squeeze.”

The movie has already caught the eye of many who make their living playing the game of golf.

“I watched The Squeeze and really enjoyed it,” said Jack Nicklaus, winner of a record 18 major golf championships. “It’s a fun movie that tells an interesting story, and the golf elements are so real you actually believe it could happen.”

“The Squeeze is a wonderful golf movie because it’s so authentic,” said five time major winner Phil Mickelson. “It hooks you in the beginning and stays interesting and entertaining right to the end. I’m looking forward to seeing it again.”

In addition to being released by distributor ARC Entertainment in a limited number of theaters across the country, The Squeeze will also be available in about 95 percent of the On-Demand outlets in the US as well as on Groupon—the very first time that it is offering a digital download movie.

The offer is available in two separate packages. Customers can either order the movie plus Tom Watson’s “Lessons of a Lifetime” DVD set, the most popular golf instructional video ever, for $19.99 (a $47.95 value), or the movie plus a tee time in their area via EZ Link, America’s largest tee time company, for $13.99 (a $28 value).

To view the movie trailer, visit http://thesqueezemovie.com