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.

The 2022 model netflix movie produced by LeBron James and Adam Sandler...

LeBron aside, Adam Sandler, who is a basketball fan, played great...

The movie is probably one of the best sports movies made in the last 10 years.

Adam Sandler is a wine man, his acting gets better as he gets older.

Turns out Adam Sandler can actually do movies that aren't comedies. Shocking, I know. After a down-on-his-luck basketball scout discovers an extraordinary player abroad, he brings the phenom back without his team's approval.

In this sports-drama produced by Adam Sandler alongside LeBron James, a touching story is told perfectly with magnificent performances from both Sandler himself and actual NBA star Juancho Hernangomez. From the moment Stanley (Adam Sandler) meets Bo (Juancho Hernangomez) and his family, you can immediately see how they click and just how strong the chemistry is between them. The story is filled with with unexpected plot twists, keeping the audience attached during the whole 2 hours run-time that pass very smoothly. Although this movie is not labeled as a comedy, you still get to laugh a lot throughout it. Well, of course. It is Adam Sandler after all!

Unexpectedly, this movie instills a burst of emotions in the audience while conveying important life lessons. The music, for me, really helps the movie flourish, as it is honestly staggering and suits the mood that the director is trying to provide perfectly.

Finally, considering the fact that this movie is loaded with famous NBA players, NBA fans would definitely enjoy it. However, because the plot and production are phenomenal, anyone would enjoy this movie.

Score:8.5/10.

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.