Trouble With the Curve

"Weak"

Trouble With the Curve Review


With beautiful but bland direction and a script that can't help but overstate everything, this film is an odd misstep for Eastwood and his assistant-turned-director Lorenz. Instead of being an intriguing exploration of ageing, the film isn't much more than a trite inspirational drama. Fortunately the solid cast manages to inject some subtle touches here and there that bring out more interesting layers of the issues at hand.

Eastwood plays Gus, a scout for the Atlanta Braves who refuses to admit that he's going blind. And he's also in trouble with his boss (Lillard), who's more interested in computer stats than Gus' finely honed ability to see the potential in young players. As a final test, Gus is sent to scout a rising-star teen pitcher (Massingill). Meanwhile, Gus' high-powered lawyer daughter Mickey (Adams) is up for partnership in her firm. She can barely stand to be in the same room as her dad, but abandons the biggest case of her career to accompany him and help him see this young player, because she's even more adept at spotting talent than he is. Along the way she meets Johnny (Timberlake), a charming scout who helps take her mind off her work and her dad.

This is one of those films that undemanding audiences will think is just fine. It never expects us to think at all, telling us everything that's happening and how everyone is thinking while dropping painfully obvious hints about where the plot is going. So the film feels shallow and superficial even though it touches on some intriguing themes, such as the difficulties of ageing gracefully and mending relationships, or the challenge to move forward without forgetting the old skills.

Eastwood could play this role in his sleep, growling under his breath to show his exasperation with pretty much everyone he meets then shifting into weepy sentimentality right on cue. He's always watchable, but this is hardly a revelatory performance. Adams is more interesting, even if her underwritten character continually makes implausible decisions. But her energy and intelligence wakes the film up along the way, and she even has decent chemistry with Timberlake, who's not much more than a cliché of a wannabe/has-been. As a result, the film might make us smile, but we've forgotten it before we leave the cinema.

Rich Cline



Trouble With the Curve

Facts and Figures

Genre: Dramas

Run time: 111 mins

In Theaters: Friday 21st September 2012

Box Office USA: $35.8M

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Production compaines: Warner Bros. Pictures, Malpaso Productions

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 2 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Fresh: 96 Rotten: 96

IMDB: 6.8 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director:

Starring: as Gus, as Mickey, as Johnny Flanagan, as Pete Klein, as Phillip Sanderson, Joe Massingill as Bo Gentry, as Vince, as Max, as Smitty, as Greg, as Danny, as Billy Clark, Jay Galloway as Rigo Sanchez, as Watson, as Schwartz, as Rosenbloom, James Patrick Freetly as Todd, Norma Alvarez as Grace Sanchez, Rus Blackwell as Rick, as Lucious, Josh Warren as Pitcher, Seth Meriwether as Wilson, Bart Hansard as Bo's Father, Patricia French as Diner Waitress, Tom Nowicki as Red Sox GM, Julia Walters as Young Mickey, Tyler Silva as Carlos Sanchez, as Nurse, Clayton Landey as Manager, Matthew Brady as Swannanoa Manager (as Matt Brady), Jackie Prucha as Secretary, Ricky Muse as Jimmy, as Rock

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews