Directed by Julio Quintana and based on Humberto G. Garcia’s book Mustang Miracle, The Long Game movie tells the inspiring true story of two young Mexican-American golf caddies who went against all chances to follow their dream.
The moving story of these young guys in the mid-1950s is adapted into a movie by Quintana. It stars Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Cheech Marin, and Julian Works in the lead roles.
Not only the actors have done a remarkable job, the great selection of shooting sites has also contributed to the film’s authencity, which range from Texas to Colombia. Let’s talk about the places where The Long Game was shot and how they add to the historical and emotional weight of the movie.
The Long Game Filming Locations
The Long Game movie was filmed in Texas, California, and Colombia during late 2022.
Smithville, Texas
This is the place where the story is based, and that’s why filmmakers spend most of their time there for shooting. Most of the movie was filmed at the small town of Smithville, located around 40 miles south-east from Austin. Its been a famous place to film in Hollywood for a long time, especially for the 1998 movie “Hope Floats” starring Sandra Bullock.
Smithville’s pretty streets and well-kept houses from the 1950s were used for both inside and outside shots in The Long Game. The ancient buildings and oak-lined streets of the town give it a real feel that takes people back in time.
Criticizing Smithville as “a time capsule,” director Julio Quintana said that the town’s streets and homes still look like they did in the 1950s, which made it a great setting for the movie. It is the most historic small town in Texas, which added a lot to the movie’s small-town feel as Bastrop.
Bastrop, Texas
Located at a short drive from Smithville, Bastrop was the setting for many of the movie’s most important settings and scenes set on a golf course. The country scenery and historic charm of the town are important parts of how the movie shows life in Texas in the 1950s.
California, USA
The movie is mostly set in Texas, but some scenes had to be filmed in California to get a more varied view and for certain shots that needed different settings.
Los Angeles, California
A few internal scenes of The Long Game were shot in Los Angeles, where the production team used the city’s cutting-edge sound stages and other filming tools. The difference between Texas’s rural scenery and California’s urban setting made some scenes look better that needed a different background.
Scenes from golf courses that are a mix of Texas and California
The story takes place in Texas, but scenes on the golf course were filmed in both Texas and California. Producers had more freedom to shoot important scenes where the young golfers trained and raced on California’s well-kept golf grounds. With their rich greens and wide-open skies, these scenes did a great job of showing the spirit of the game and the boys’ drive.
Colombia, South America
Colombia was one of the most surprising places where The Long Game was filmed. The movie takes place in the United States, but some parts were filmed in Colombia to make it look like it was made in the mid-1950s. Del Rio, Texas, was made to look like Colombia. That’s where the boys played golf and worked out in the desert.
Director Julio Quintana said that Colombia was picked because of how much the scenery has changed in Del Rio since the 1950s. Because Colombia has both modern towns and traditional rural areas, the filmmakers were able to make a scene that looked like Texas in the 1950s. In Colombia, the golf course scenes that make up the bulk of the movie were filmed, which makes it a good substitute for the Texan desert.
The historical importance of Texas, the natural beauty of California, and the adaptability of Colombia all come together to make a movie experience that is both familiar and exciting.
Behind the Scenes
Julio Quintana has talked about the pros and cons of filming in different places in talks. He said it was hard to find places in Texas that still looked like they did in the 1950s, especially in cities like Del Rio that have changed a lot over the years. But towns like Smithville and Bastrop were great places to bring the time period to life.
Quintana also talked about how hard it was to film in Colombia, especially making sure that none of the sites looked too modern. The production team had to be very careful to pick places that would look great with the movie’s 1950s style.
The Long Game’s choice of shooting places is a big part of how the audience feels like they are really in the story’s historical setting. By mixing scenes from Texas, California, and Colombia, the movie stays true to its roots while also using the best settings to show how the characters feel at their best and worst times.
Cast of The Long Game
- Jay Hernandez as JB Peña
- Dennis Quaid as Frank Mitchell
- Cheech Marin as Pollo
- Julian Works as Joe Treviño
- Jaina Lee Ortiz as Lucy Peña
- Brett Cullen as Judge Milton Cox
- Oscar Nuñez as Principal Guerra
- Paulina Chávez as Daniela Torres
- Gregory Diaz IV as Gene Vasquez
- Miguel Angel Garcia as Felipe Romero
- Christian Gallegos as Mario Lomas
- José Julián as Lupe Felan
- Gillian Vigman as Gayle Baker
- Richard Robichaux as Don Glenn
- Jimmy Gonzales as Adelio Treviño
- Michael Southworth as Tim Cox