Hustle Review

Plot: A washed-up basketball scout discovers a phenomenal street ball player while in Spain and sees the prospect as his opportunity to get back into the NBA.

Review: Of all the comedic actors who have crossed into drama, few have been as under-appreciated as Adam Sandler. The man known for Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and a slew of painfully bad Netflix cash grabs is also the same actor who was astounding in Punch-Drunk Love and Uncut Gems. Sandler’s latest dramatic performance is another winner. While Hustle may not be Oscar-caliber like the two aforementioned movies, it is one of the better projects that Sandler has starred in during his entire career. A solid sports story with underdog elements, Hustle is a heartfelt tale that manages to deliver some laughs without resorting to the cheapest gags possible. Supported by Ben Foster, Queen Latifah, Heidi Gardner, and Robert Duvall, Hustle is a slam dunk.

Hustle follows Stanley Sugarman (Adam Sandler), an international scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. A former college player, Stanley spends the majority of his time on the road away from his wife Teresa (Queen Latifah) and daughter Alex (Jordan Hull). A favorite of 76ers owner Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall) and his daughter Kat (Heidi Gardner), Stanley butts up against Rex’s son, Vince (Ben Foster). When a coaching opportunity presents itself, Stanley jumps at the chance but is soon back on the road looking for the next NBA star. In Spain, he spots streetball player Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez) and realizes he is a superstar in the making. Despite reluctance from Vince, Stanley takes Bo under his wing and helps train him for the NBA Draft Combine.

There are a lot of similarities between Hustle and countless other sports movies over the years, but what helps this film from turning into a formulaic collection of cliches is the sincerity in all of the performances. There is a good deal of humor in the story but it never makes jokes to try and elicit laughs rather than have them organically come through in Adam Sandler’s performance. Playing a 50-something, overweight has been with aspirations and a good heart, Sandler is the polar opposite of his Uncut Gems character. Stanley is a family man who knows basketball but never comes across as inauthentic. Both Sandler and Latifah make a convincing couple and Jordan Hull compliments their family dynamic. Everyone in this cast delivers solid performances including the always great Ben Foster who portrays the antagonistic Vince.

It also helps that in casting actual NBA players Juancho Hernangomez and Anthony Edwards, Sandler and his co-producers Maverick Carter and Lebron James found two athletes who transition well to acting roles as well. Hernangomez portrays Bo Cruz as a single father working construction and hustling basketball games in local parks to make ends meet but it never feels like he was an NBA player first and actor second. Hernangomez and Sandler have great chemistry here that develops into a touching father-son dynamic that keeps you rooting for both through the end of the movie. Edwards, who plays Bo’s draft rival Kermit Wills, makes a convincing opponent that you root against. There are multiple other NBA cameos and supporting roles from Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, Julius Erving, Kyle Lowry, Seth Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, and many more. Some of these players play themselves while others, like Kenny Smith, play key supporting fictional roles.

Written by Will Fetters (A Star is Born) and Taylor Materne (NBA2K19 and 2K20 story modes), Hustle has a lot of inside details about the path to the NBA for rookies and international players that are presented in a way that should be easily understandable for even the most sports-illiterate viewer. There is also an authenticity to the Philadelphia set story that is enhanced by director Jeremiah Zagar (We the Animals). A South Philly native, Zagar is one of the better filmmakers to partner with Adam Sandler which helps this movie looks more cinematic than the actor’s comedy work. This movie ventures outside of the bigger NBA cities like New York and Los Angeles to offer a look at a sports-centric city but one that does not overshadow the story itself. Over the two-hour running time of Hustle, the film never loses momentum when it shifts between training montages and game footage. The story moves at a solid pace and had me focused the entire time on rooting for Bo and for Stanley.

Making a solid movie that will appeal to casual audiences and hardcore sports fans is tricky but Hustle manages to make everything from the on-court action to the boardroom dealings feel interesting and exciting. With a personal story about the importance of family, relationships, and self-respect, Hustle is really a character study that is told from a personal angle you don’t often see in sports movies. Adam Sandler still has the charm and wit he has shown since his days on Saturday Night Live, but in Hustle he is so effortlessly hilarious that I sometimes forgot I was watching a drama and not a comedy. Hustle is far better than I expected it to be and should be on everybody’s list to stream this weekend. Even if you aren’t a basketball fan, I guarantee you will find a lot to love in this movie.

Hustle (2022)

AMAZING

9