I am basically the target audience for this movie, but that said, a true Daily Wire fan won't pull punches.
Lady Ballers' claim to fame is its comedic satire and on that front, it does very well. A common worry for me with modern comedies is that the trailer will show every good joke or point the movie has to offer, leaving the rest of the movie to be bland plot exposition. In this case, there is plenty more than the trailer shows, but none of it will necessarily exceed the trailer. What you see is what you get.
There are a lot of jokes, and some of them are downright incredible, while some of them fall flat. It's definitely a weird movie, and how many and which jokes you laugh at will likely depend on personal taste. I totally agree with the take that this movie may as well have been written by Adam Sandler. On that point, it is not appropriate for kids under 13. Some mature themes are explored (obviously) and there are some dirtier jokes involved. Obviously nothing disgusting is shown, but there may certainly be some awkward questions if watching this flic with those not familiar with the existence of weird fetishes and creeps.
As for the message of the movie, I'm happy to report that by the time it arrives, the audience is actually ready for it. There's no beating people over the head with politics (other than the men in women's sports thing obviously) and it winds up being genuinely heartwarming.
The acting is mediocre, which is to be expected given the non-professional actors, and the cameos make it all worth it.
The cinematography is honestly a bit weird at times, and there were some occasional choices that I found annoying, but pretty good quality overall. The actual production on display is completely acceptable, and quite impressive considering the low budget. It genuinely felt like any other Hollywood production in terms of quality. Clearly a lot of work was put into this movie. (It also says something that $7 million is all you need to achieve the quality of Hollywood's $100 million releases but that's a topic for another time)
Best part of the movie: Matt Walsh's character didn't have a single less-than-stellar moment. From writing to casting, his character is brilliant. Most characters have both great and bad lines/acting/presence but a few absolutely knock it put of the park, with the most obvious being Matt.
The worst part: there are definitely some odd side quests and stupid tangents sometimes. They aren't necessarily boring, but very weird. The good news is that they don't last too long so you won't get too annoyed as the story seems to spiral out of control. Yes they are slightly pointless, but the story will get back on track within a few minutes.
Overall: not bad at all! Not a classic or mind blowing, but definitely does its job sufficiently. Not going to be my favorite movie, but will be watching again. It's probably not worth an entire DW subscription for, but if you were already in the fence, this could certainly put you over the edge, especially if this isn't the last of its kind. I hope we get more like this in the future!
SBG for life!
