Hustle

Adam Sandlers love letter to basketball and honestly it was kind of beautiful. The story had a good mix of truth and fiction and the cast a good mix of actors and bball legends. The characters had chemistry and brought authenticity to the sentiment of this story.

Once again it's no surprise that Adam shines in another more serious role. When people constantly seem to be shocked at his range I tell them to go back and watch reign over me. He's always had this versatility. That's not to say his signature brand of comedy isn't implemented in this solid film. The story is rather straightforward an interesting as it also shows his passion for the game of basketball that he's always had in reality as well. Overall another solid entry into his recent renaissance. Wasn't too fond of certain moments or the casting of Latifah as his wife but I can look that over.

Plot

A basketball scout discovers a phenomenal street ball player while in Spain and sees the prospect as his opportunity to get back into the NBA.

Cast

Adam Sandler shows again his acting chops are better than people realize, Queen Latifah plays Queen Latifah, Ben Foster manages to make you truly despise him in a successful performance and a slew of famous Basketball players make cameos (And I didn't recognize any of them).

Verdict

Let it be known I don't follow sports, as in any sports at all. I just don't care and have never seen the appeal let alone the absurd obsession people seem to have. The extent of my enjoyment of sports related movies would be the Mighty Ducks films! So therefore Hustle I thought didn't stand a chance, however it was recommended to me so I decided to give it a whirl.

Truth be told, it won me over. Solid performances and the cliched underdog sports movie trope didn't seem as obnoxious as usual. Sure there isn't much in the way of a plot and the whole thing is very simple (As sports films tend to be) but it had heart and that's something I didn't expect. Sandler was great, our titanic basketball player lead chap was surprisingly endearing and I walked away nodding at the screen with respect as was no easy feat making me enjoy a film of this type.

I'm sure actual basketball fans will get a kick out of this, recognize the cameos and understand all the sports lingo that was entirely lost on me.

Rants

Sandler is known for comedy, he's done some great comedy performances over the years so why are most of his serious roles the ones that stick with me? Whether it be Reign Over Me or more recently Spaceman I believe Sandler to be a remarkably competent actor who comes across likeable, makes you care about him and manages to convey all the deepest emotions in a way we loved Robin Williams for. A few more please Mr Sandler!

The Good

Some great performances Oddly heartfelt Surprisingly engaging

The Bad

Dreadful soundtrack Much of it I just didn't "Get" Not exactly original.

If you're like me and enjoy feel good sports movies you will enjoy this. Seems like years since anyone got one right. The way it ends is a little bit flat, but still enjoyable.

I know some bag on him, but I'm enjoying this new era Adam Sandler. He pulls it off.

But if you are, then you'll love this Adam Sandler and LeBron James production. It's a great and touching story, told perfectly, with outstanding performances and chemistry by Sandler and actual NBA star Juancho Hernangomez. You'll also see a bunch of other NBA players and celebrities. The directing is excellent, as is the cinematography. The almost 2 hour runtime flew by with the great pacing. This film is certainly one of the better sport-dramas I've seen, if not the best. I promise you you'll laugh and you will cry. This is a re-watch at least one more time for sure. A well deserved 9/10 from me.