348. Hustle; movie review

 

HUSTLE

Cert 15

117 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language

Did we need a cinematic vehicle for superstar basketball players?

Apparently so, in the eyes of one of the sport's greatest fans, Adam Sandler and Hustle's director, Jeremiah Zagar.

They have created a picture which is so close to the Rocky template we could predict almost every scene.

Of course, they have replaced boxing with throwing hoops.

This is a labour of love for Sandler who is its executive producer as well as starring in its lead as a basketball scout who flies the world in search of talent.

His character, Stanley Sugarman, is making up for his own lost playing career by finding the next big thing for his club, the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, he has long become fed up with being on the road and wants to spend more time with his wife (Queen Latifah) and daughter (Jordan Hull).

Unfortunately, the club's new owner (Ben Foster) is not as keen as his recently deceased dad (Robert Duvall) on employing Stanley as a coach.

Thus, he is forced to go travelling again and discovers what he believes is the next big thing in a backstreet in Spain.

Real-life basketball star Juancho Hernangomez plays the protege on whom Stanley lays his hat but, inevitably, his path to the top is not easy.

Hustle is being touted as a potential award-winner but Mrs W and I felt we had seen it all before.

The plot is hackneyed and the characters are disappointingly thinly drawn. For example, Foster's talents are wasted as the one-dimensional owner who is the pantomime villain of the piece.

Sandler is reasonably alluring as the well-meaning mentor but, otherwise, this just seems to have been an opportunity for him to put his basketball heroes on the big screen.

Thus, the huge majority of the cast are NBA players and, consequently, the court action is the best feature of a very disappointing picture.

Reasons to watch: Uplifting story

Reasons to avoid: Sooo predictable

Laughs: None

Jumps: Only on the court

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 4/10

Did you know? Adam Sandler regularly goes viral playing pickup basketball on Long Island courts

The final word. Jeremiah Zagar: "What blew my mind about Adam is that you feel the authenticity of him in every single take. It’s a rare thing where all takes are good. They don’t mess up. It’s a quality that only the greatest actors have." Indiewire

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