In 2014’s Road to the Open, Eric Roberts and John Schneider play, respectively, Tim and Rob Gollant.

The Gollant brothers are wealthy, smug, and athletic.  At the local country club, they’re not only the best golf players but also the best tennis players.  They’re the type who taunt their opponents while they’re losing.  No one really likes the Gollant brothers but people put up with them because the Gollant brothers are extremely rich.  When they tell you to get off of their bench at the club, it’s because it really is their bench.  Their names are literally on the bench.

The Gollant Brothers aren’t exactly likeable but they are fun to watch, specifically because they’re played by John Schneider and Eric Roberts.  Roberts and Schneider give perfect performances as two men who have never actually had to grow up.  They’re the type of overage high school bullies who wouldn’t stand a chance in the real world but who, fortunately, can spend all of their time hiding out at their country club.

Of course, the Gollants are not the heroes of Road to the Open.  Instead, they’re the obstacle standing in the way of Jerry McDonald (Troy McKay) and Miles Worth (Philip DeVova).  Jerry and Miles are lifelong friends who enjoy playing tennis together.  Overweight, balding, and mild-mannered, Jerry is not a typical athlete and he knows it.  Haunted by the death of his wife and raising his daughter on his own, Jerry doesn’t so much fear losing as much as he fears letting everyone down.  Miles, meanwhile, is a typical athlete, right down to the anger management issues.  Fortunately, Miles has been seeing a somewhat eccentric therapist (Judd Nelson) and he may have finally learned how to control his temper.

There’s a lot of tennis in Road to the Open but, ultimately, it’s about Jerry and Miles’s friendship and Jerry trying to find the strength to move on with his life.  Even though he meets and falls in love with Sam (Michelle Gunn), Jerry still feels as if he’s betraying the memory of his wife and, at times, he feels guilty for feeling any sort of happiness.  There’s a lot of comedy to be found in Road to the Open but, ultimately, this film is a heartfelt and rather sweet testament to friendship and love.  It’s also a well-acted film, with McKay, DeVova, and Gunn bringing a lot of likable energy to their roles.

I watched Road to the Open on Tubi.  It turned out to be a nice surprise.

Previous Eric Roberts Films That We Have Reviewed:

1. Star 80 (1983)
2. Blood Red (1989)
3. The Ambulance (1990)
4. The Lost Capone (1990)
5. Love, Cheat, & Steal (1993)
6. Love Is A Gun (1994)
7. Sensation (1994)
8. Doctor Who (1996)
9. Most Wanted (1997)
10. Mr. Brightside (2004)
11. Six: The Mark Unleased (2004)
12. Hey You (2006)
13. In The Blink of an Eye (2009)
14. The Expendables (2010) 
15. Sharktopus (2010)
16. Deadline (2012)
17. Miss Atomic Bomb (2012)
18. Lovelace (2013)
19. Self-Storage (2013)
20. Inherent Vice (2014)
21. Rumors of War (2014)
22. A Fatal Obsession (2015)
23. Stalked By My Doctor (2015)
24. Stalked By My Doctor: The Return (2016)
25. The Wrong Roommate (2016)
26. Stalked By My Doctor: Patient’s Revenge (2018)
27. Monster Island (2019)
28. Seven Deadly Sins (2019)
29. Stalked By My Doctor: A Sleepwalker’s Nightmare (2019)
30. The Wrong Mommy (2019)
31. Her Deadly Groom (2020)
32. Top Gunner (2020)
33. Just What The Doctor Ordered (2021)
34. Killer Advice (2021)
35. The Poltergeist Diaries (2021)
36. My Dinner With Eric (2022)