‘Green and Gold’ Review: Betting the Farm on Football Games

To bet the farm, or not to bet the farm. That is the question in “Green and Gold,” something of a shaggy dog story “inspired by true events,” according to a title card, that aims to pull at our heartstrings.

In the movie, directed by Anders Lindwall, Craig T. Nelson plays Buck, a farmer in 1990s Wisconsin who, according to the antagonistic banker foreclosing on him, “farms like it’s the 1800s.” Buck’s plucky singer-songwriter granddaughter Jenny (Madison Lawlor) says that’s because the soil there is so special, which doesn’t sway the creditor. Her grandfather is also a big Green Bay Packers fan. So much so that he contrives to bet his property against the outcome of a football season.

Depending on how you look at it, Buck is an integrity-laden underdog, or a willful, truculent fool who may or may not get lucky with his bet. While it speaks well of Nelson’s integrity as a performer that he doesn’t make much effort to render Buck as ingratiating, the result is that the character can be a bit of a drag. His affection for his wife, Margaret (Annabel Armour), shows his softer side.

The story follows the trajectory familiar to aficionados of Hallmark movies; about 45 minutes in, things start looking up for the characters. Which means that (and you can almost set your watch by it) within an hour and 15 minutes, everything goes to manure, so to speak. But not to worry. To mix metaphors, as this movie tends to do, the ball is recovered.

Green and Gold
Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes. In theaters.