(LR) Juancho Hernangomez as Bo Cruz and Adam Sandler as Stanley Sugerman on HustlePicture: Netflix
Sports-themed films are at their best when they focus on the story of human interest. Director Jeremiah Zagar’s Hustle scores points for doing so efficiently and effortlessly, providing an agile and fast function on a basketball finder the search for the perfect player produces personal dividends that outperform professionals. Although it follows a plot by numbers, taking pages from the playbooks of The Air Up There and My Giant, its engaging character drive and thrilling technical craft make up for more than its narrative familiarity.
Philadelphia Sixers talent researcher Stanley Sugarman (Adam Sandler) has been exhausted by the demands of his job, going all over the world from plane to plane, hotel to hotel, and track to basketball court. . Not only has he moved away from his beloved wife Teresa (Queen Latifah) and his aspiring filmmaker daughter Alex (Jordan Hull), but he has drastically dampened his career ambitions to one day coach the team he loves. His sacrifice and determination, however, have not gone unnoticed by Sixers owner / friend Rex (Robert Duvall), who promotes him to assistant coach, but dies soon after.
The tragedy jeopardizes Stan’s position with the new owner, Rex’s satisfied and controversial son, Vince (Ben Foster). With a desperate need for a winning move, Stan travels to Spain, where he accidentally witnesses street player Bo Cruz (NBA player Juancho Hernangómez) putting the “wow” sound on the “crowd.” He is tall, talented and tender-hearted, and values his close relationship with his mother (Maria Botto) and his early daughter (Ainhoa Pillet). He is also a virtual stranger with a troubled past. The two underdogs begin a search to connect and prove themselves to their peers. But just as the couple begins to reach high heights, seemingly insurmountable challenges threaten to push them back.
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press
Cast
Adam Sandler, Juancho Hernangómez, Queen Latifah, Kenny Smith, Ben Foster, Robert Duvall, Heidi Gardner
Availability
On Netflix on June 8th
Between the formulaic and familiar rhythms of the story, screenwriters Taylor Materne and Will Fetters delve into the unspoken subtext that gives the characters their dynamic engines. Stan and Bo’s internal and external bets are clearly defined and palpable, as is Vince’s modus operandi as he attacks Stan, his father’s favorite surrogate son. The women of her world, who are traditionally tertiary in films like this, are blissfully important: Teresa, Alex, and Katherine (Heidi Gardner), Vince’s corporate sister, are integral forces that flex their own agency while increasing their male bows. .
While the script lives up to expectations, Zagar’s stylistic flowers and creative collaborators provide the unexpected. The image houses an incredibly shocking use of editing, musicality and composition. This is best demonstrated in the electrifying training sequence of the second act: a mandatory inclusion in any good sports film, but ingeniously enhanced by the propulsive sound and vision of this team. This segment is visually and audibly symphonic, combining exciting hip-hop with Dan Deacon’s score, diffused lighting by cinematographer Zak Mulligan, and sharp cuts by editors Tom Costain, Brian M. Robinson, and Keiko Deguchi. It mimics the intense focus and engine of revolutions within the athlete’s psyche, aided by Sandler’s motivational screams.
Sandler offers a humanistic and open-hearted performance as a discouraged soul with a desire for challenge and change, staying within the well-guided limits of sympathy. He is a confident actor, as adept at lightness as he is at the most dramatic challenges in the role. Newcomer Hernangómez is a great screen partner for Sandler, who offers vulnerability and nuanced grace. It should also be noted that the cameo group of basketball stars leaves no momentum; its addition — which in any other feature would be seen as a cheap ploy — gives the image an air of authenticity.
That said, awkward looks sometimes cause some minor distractions. The approaching act changes distract and foreshadow conflicts executed with less delicacy than the film benefits. The script also explains everything instead of having confidence in your audience. And, despite being sewn into a major character development development, the crucial moment when something goes viral feels artificial, as much as anything because most of the rest of the film doesn’t depend on that type. of amenities.
While not a total slam dunk, Hustle plays admirably with a lot of passion, art, and intelligence. Surprisingly, the predictable struggles lead to resonant depths, which are shown both in their technical competence and in some feelings that excite the soul about overcoming adversity. And as they direct the audience to one side, the filmmakers make bright zigzags on the other, adding extra depth and dimension to the riddles of these characters. In a stacked book of well-known works, it is perhaps the most cunning maneuver of this film.