‘Walking with Herb’: Finding Faith on the Links

The last time I played golf, it was nine holes with my now-14-year-old son. It had been years since I had last hit the links … and, unfortunately, my performance clearly showed this. My shots were consistently straight (or near-straight), but the distance was lacking.

My son, on the other hand, was in the midst of a PGA Junior season and was tearing up the fairways and the greens. He embarrassed me and made me proud all in one fell swoop.

Perhaps I would have benefitted from being under the tutelage of Herb.

Who Is This Herb Fellow?

Herb is one of God’s messengers sent to help Joe Amable-Ano in the movie, Walking with Herb, which arrives in theaters nationwide for three nights – April 30, May 1, and May 3.

George Lopez (“George Lopez”, The Smurfs) shines in one of his most memorable roles as the titular and eccentric Herb.

Herb shows up at the bank where Joe works as an executive wearing a leather helmet and sporting a pair of yellow-rimmed sunglasses. He sends a dog with a note attached to its collar into Joe’s office. The note reads, “Bring Your Clubs!”

“[God] sends Herb down to enter Joe’s life, and he says, ‘Meet me here. We’re going to play golf,’” stated Lopez. The next day at the driving range, Joe (Edward James Olmos – “Miami Vice”, Stand and Deliver) hits one shot before Herb tells him that’s enough for the day, prompting Joe to say, “I hit one ball.”

Herb’s response: “I know. You see where it went? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

There’s a reason for Herb’s sudden appearance in Joe’s life. God, who first speaks to Joe through his computer monitor, chooses Joe for a special mission: play in the Golf Championship of the World Entire, and possibly win it. The problem is Joe hasn’t played golf in 35 years.

“God knows that if you put somebody with somebody who’s lost some faith that they’ll connect and you don’t have to be a messenger from God to be God’s messenger,” stated Lopez.

The Impossible Is Possible

Although the movie focuses on Joe’s journey back to the golf links and his attempt to win a major golf championship with a $3 million purse, the movie isn’t about golf. It’s about finding faith and making the impossible possible.

After losing his son-in-law and granddaughter, Joe is understandably grief-stricken. But what’s more is that he’s completely lost his faith. At the graveside ceremony for his granddaughter, his daughter Jessica (Jessica Medoff – The Heart Outright), reminds him that they must have faith. His response exposes just how broken his spirit is: “I have no faith.”

God uses Joe to inspire others to realize that achieving the impossible is possible only if you have faith. Although Joe was at one point an amateur golf champion, he hasn’t golfed in years. The odds of him winning a tournament featuring the world’s best golfers, many of whom are half his age, are miniscule; however, Herb tells him that he’ll win the championship if he has faith.

Joe’s not only dealing with his grief from the loss of two loved ones, but he’s also stressed by the day-to-day demands of his job, providing for and worrying about his wife and daughter, and preparing for retirement. It’s a lot for anyone to juggle, and then add on to that the physical and mental pressure he must be under by practicing for the golf tournament, which will be televised on national television.

“It’s very tough on someone when you lose a child and you lose a son-in-law. It feels like everything’s coming down on you,” said Lopez. “[Joe] just needed a little bit of help to clear the pain to see that every day and every morning you get up is a gift, and that as you move through life the people that you behind are your greatest gifts.”

Combined with powerful performances, a beautiful script, a couple of nice twists, and a timeless message that through Christ anything is possible, Walking with Herb is a movie that should be on everyone’s list of favorite movies.

…

For more information on the movie, visit walkingwithherbmovie.com.