Walking With Herb: A Feel Good Movie For Our Times

By Katharine Ann Díaz

As we distance ourselves from the trauma of 2020 and begin to look with optimism at 2021, it’s time for a feel-good movie that offers a hearty dose of hope. That’s exactly what the new movie, Walking With Herb, delivers.

The movie stars Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver, Battlestar Galactica, Selena…) as Joe Amable-Amo, a bank president, whose family has suffered the cruel loss of a granddaughter and son-in-law. Joe has lost faith in God and struggles to find meaning in life, this despite being buoyed by his loving wife played by Kathleen Quinlan.

Enter Herb, played by George López (The George López Show, Spare Parts, Rio…), an angel sent from above to help Joe find his way again. With obvious nods to Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Herb entices Joe to recover his faith through the unlikely game of golf and a goal of winning the championship of all golf championships.

“Walking With Herb is very powerful. It’s wonderfully uplifting and compassionate. It’s a heartwarming, funny story about golf and second chances. It allows you to understand the difficulties of life.”
Edward James Olmos

Despite the good amount of time spent on the links, this is not a movie about golf. And you don’t have to be a golf lover to understand that the game is just a tool Herb uses to help Joe heal and learn to believe again.

“Walking With Herb is very powerful,” says Olmos. “It’s wonderfully uplifting and compassionate. It’s a heartwarming, funny story about golf and second chances. It allows you to understand the difficulties of life.” Sid Ganis, former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, observes, “This is Edward James Olmos’ best performance since Stand and Deliver.”

“As a Latino who loves the game of golf, I was delighted to see a movie that utilized the game in such a heartwarming and uplifting manner,” shares nonprofit administrator Andres Tobar.

Also delivering a heartfelt performance is George López. You may not recognize him in his sensitive and warm portrayal of Herb. “It was my intent to reveal truths and different parts of myself along the way,” says López. “I’ve evolved to a place where people will see me this way and be surprised.”

This weekend Walking With Herb will be in 507 theaters across the United States. Theaters are following appropriate Covid safety procedures. See the movie trailer and find where it’s showing near you at www.WalkingWithHerbMovie.com. If you want to see more movies with Latino leads, consider heading to a theater near you this weekend.

Like a slow burning ember, Walking With Herb will warm your heart, give you hope and deliver an unexpected but satisfying end. After what we’ve all been through collectively since the pandemic struck, this is just the kind of movie the doctor ordered.

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