Post by Doomsday on Jun 17, 2022 18:58:26 GMT -5
Hustle
Full disclosure: I don't watch NBA basketball at all so if I get any facts wrong or make a terribly obvious statement, whatever.
Adam Sandler can really piss me off. We're probably all on the same page here but it's depressing when you see him in a movie like Hustle where he's really good, engaging and likable. You're reminded of other films where he's equally good, movies like Punch Drunk Love or Uncut Gems. You wonder 'why doesn't he make more movies like this when he can really shine?' Then in about a tenth of a second you remember that he's also very busy financially supporting all his NYU buddies with movies like Ridiculous 6, Sandy Wexler and Hubie Halloween. Not that I blame the guy, his comedies are still inexplicably, unfathomably popular, he would have to be crazy to stop. But I can't help but think that when he looks over his career years from now he just may realize the obvious, that his creative comedic choices have tarnished his reputation to such a degree that his own peers don't take him seriously regardless of the serious work he does. It's been said that people even stated off the record that Academy members didn't want to nominate him for Uncut Gems solely because they couldn't possibly nominate a guy like Adam Sandler for Best Actor. It makes you wonder if all that money really makes up for it. Or maybe he doesn't care at all, in any case a guy like me wouldn't mind seeing more Sandler in Hustle-mode and I would imagine others would agree.
Sandler stars as Stanley Sugerman, a former college basketball player and seasoned scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. The team owner Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall) sees potential in Stanley and finally promotes him to assistant coach but unfortunately as movies go Rex suddenly dies and his egotistical idiot son Vince (Ben Foster) demotes Sugerman back to scout because he doesn't like Stanley as much as his old man did. Disappointed, Stanley knows that his ticket back to assistant coach is to find a quality prospect and he quickly finds that in Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez), a construction worker and street baller. Stanley brings him back to the U.S. against Vince's wishes and personally takes him under his wing to get him ready for the big time but easing out Bo's rough edges and keeping his own family intact will push Stanley and everyone around him to their breaking points.
Admittedly, this isn't the most earth shattering film. What sets it apart from your standard sports flicks are a few key performances, namely Sandler's and Hernangomez's, as well as the pacing. Hustle is a movie that is constantly moving and takes you along almost in real time as Stanley picks Cruz out of obscurity and prepares him for whatever obstacle he faces next. Each event and each hurdle is just preparation for another and there are a number of roadblocks that are thrown in their way. Not to say that Hustle isn't without its share of issues. The secondary characters are pretty standard stock, underdeveloped and forgettable. Ben Foster's Vince is one of those antagonists who solely exists to be a headache for Sugerman and spends the entire movie constantly making the obviously, clearly, stupidly wrong decisions. Think Josh Lucas' character in Ford vs. Ferrari, he's just there to cause drama. Queen Latifah, I don't know if she was exactly miscast but I'm also not sure if this role had her name written all over it. But that doesn't prevent from Hustle being a very accessible, fast paced and enjoyable movie that even a non-sports fan like me can appreciate. It's not going to change the way you look at cinema but it's certainly an above average sports movie which I acknowledge doesn't say much but by Netflix standards it's definitely ahead of the pack. And yeah, Sandler's standout performance still makes me all the more disappointed in him.
A- so says Doomsday
Full disclosure: I don't watch NBA basketball at all so if I get any facts wrong or make a terribly obvious statement, whatever.
Adam Sandler can really piss me off. We're probably all on the same page here but it's depressing when you see him in a movie like Hustle where he's really good, engaging and likable. You're reminded of other films where he's equally good, movies like Punch Drunk Love or Uncut Gems. You wonder 'why doesn't he make more movies like this when he can really shine?' Then in about a tenth of a second you remember that he's also very busy financially supporting all his NYU buddies with movies like Ridiculous 6, Sandy Wexler and Hubie Halloween. Not that I blame the guy, his comedies are still inexplicably, unfathomably popular, he would have to be crazy to stop. But I can't help but think that when he looks over his career years from now he just may realize the obvious, that his creative comedic choices have tarnished his reputation to such a degree that his own peers don't take him seriously regardless of the serious work he does. It's been said that people even stated off the record that Academy members didn't want to nominate him for Uncut Gems solely because they couldn't possibly nominate a guy like Adam Sandler for Best Actor. It makes you wonder if all that money really makes up for it. Or maybe he doesn't care at all, in any case a guy like me wouldn't mind seeing more Sandler in Hustle-mode and I would imagine others would agree.
Sandler stars as Stanley Sugerman, a former college basketball player and seasoned scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. The team owner Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall) sees potential in Stanley and finally promotes him to assistant coach but unfortunately as movies go Rex suddenly dies and his egotistical idiot son Vince (Ben Foster) demotes Sugerman back to scout because he doesn't like Stanley as much as his old man did. Disappointed, Stanley knows that his ticket back to assistant coach is to find a quality prospect and he quickly finds that in Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez), a construction worker and street baller. Stanley brings him back to the U.S. against Vince's wishes and personally takes him under his wing to get him ready for the big time but easing out Bo's rough edges and keeping his own family intact will push Stanley and everyone around him to their breaking points.
Admittedly, this isn't the most earth shattering film. What sets it apart from your standard sports flicks are a few key performances, namely Sandler's and Hernangomez's, as well as the pacing. Hustle is a movie that is constantly moving and takes you along almost in real time as Stanley picks Cruz out of obscurity and prepares him for whatever obstacle he faces next. Each event and each hurdle is just preparation for another and there are a number of roadblocks that are thrown in their way. Not to say that Hustle isn't without its share of issues. The secondary characters are pretty standard stock, underdeveloped and forgettable. Ben Foster's Vince is one of those antagonists who solely exists to be a headache for Sugerman and spends the entire movie constantly making the obviously, clearly, stupidly wrong decisions. Think Josh Lucas' character in Ford vs. Ferrari, he's just there to cause drama. Queen Latifah, I don't know if she was exactly miscast but I'm also not sure if this role had her name written all over it. But that doesn't prevent from Hustle being a very accessible, fast paced and enjoyable movie that even a non-sports fan like me can appreciate. It's not going to change the way you look at cinema but it's certainly an above average sports movie which I acknowledge doesn't say much but by Netflix standards it's definitely ahead of the pack. And yeah, Sandler's standout performance still makes me all the more disappointed in him.
A- so says Doomsday
