![]() In the plotlines it’s all about the will - do you have the will to do this thing that seems impossible? That’s what making films is like, they seem impossible. Now I find a kinship with what we do as filmmakers. When I was a kid, I really loved sports movies. Then you think about it a little more and decide to do it. So Adam Sandler calls you about a movie and you don’t think the project is a good fit for you. And the mix of so many real-life elements with Zagar’s naturalistic filmmaking touches has caused many viewers to wonder if the film is based on a true story. When he discovers Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez), an unknown player living in Spain, Stanley risks everything to get him on the team.Īside from Utah Jazz player Hernangómez, the film is stuffed with other real current and former NBA players, including Anthony Edwards, Boban Marjanovic, Kenny Smith and Julius “Dr. The film, from Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions, stars the comedian as Stanley Sugerman, a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers who spends most of his time scouring the globe for the next NBA sensation, away from his wife, Teresa (Queen Latifah), and daughter Alex (Jordan Hull) while desperately wanting to become a coach. “Hustle,” which has been firmly atop Netflix’s most-watched movies list since it launched last week, is just the latest example in a string of unexpected turns that’s included “The Meyerowitz Stories,” “The Week Of,” “Murder Mystery” and “Uncut Gems.”ĭirected by Jeremiah Zagar, whose previous film “We the Animals” was nominated for five Spirit Awards, Sandler’s breakout basketball dramedy was written by Taylor Materne and “A Star Is Born” co-writer Will Fetters. There are occasionally perplexing jolts of the camera, Cruz's English goes from basic to fluent in a heartbeat, and Foster's villain is a little over the top, but that's all nitpicking in a movie with this much well-timed humor and genuine heart.For the last few years it’s felt like Adam Sandler has been rewriting the rulebook of what he does onscreen. The film rests on its performances (Queen Latifah is a great choice as Sugerman's wife) and story, with the anticipated highs and lows of any good sports movie. ![]() ![]() Philly fans, affectionately mocked as "the best because they're the worst," will love this tribute (much has already been made about a local donut shirt that Sandler sports). There are so many cameos by current and veteran players in this film that you have to wonder how much hustling Sandler and his co-producers (including LeBron James) had to do themselves to round up the star-studded crew. Pro player Hernangomez is excellent as a talented ingenue with both a temper and a heart of gold. "Guys in their fifties don't have dreams - they have nightmares and eczema," he says, but he does still have a dream - and Bo embodies it. ![]() As a character, Sugerman has settled into middle age. As an actor, mature roles like this are where Sandler does his best work. The film soars thanks to Sandler's star performance: He toggles seamlessly between drama and comedy (the latter thankfully understated here). Sugerman and Cruz also discover a father/son-like bond in Hustle, which is underscored in a moving scene in which Bo's mother advises him not to ignore the love and dedication that Sugerman has shown him - and again in a symbolic tattoo that one character gets. This sports film will delight basketball fans, but at heart, it's a tender relationship tale about two men and their journey to finally live up to their full potential. I wish there were a cleaner version of the movie, because aside from all the stuff that earned it the R rating, the story is good and even inspiring in parts. The p*rn references are in multiple scenes and more than brief mentions (e.g., included in a discussion about someone ordering it on a hotel TV and that being wasteful because “it’s free on the internet”). In another similar scenario, someone calls the main character’s mother a “wh*re” and then follows it up with a comment about her not even being a wh*re “because wh*res get paid.” ……… E.g., one player tries to get in the main character’s head by saying he (main character) slept with his own mother and that his daughter is a product of that s*xual relationship. It’s not just the swearing (I’m not under any illusion that they haven’t heard that language at school and on YouTube), it’s the way things are said. Our 12-yr-olds have been begging to see it, so I previewed it hoping I could maybe sensor the “bad” parts and let them see the rest, but the difficult language is so pervasive we are going to have to wait until they’re older (and I would still have to mute several scenes). I recommend previewing it if you are considering letting someone younger than 15 see this movie.
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