When you see a new movie ad that touts the production as a new Adam Sandler joint, most people can be left wondering what to expect. The man has a track record so spotty that it’s hardly ever clear what quality level or type of story is coming the viewer’s way. Sandler has won awards for diverse films such as Punch Drunk Love and Blended. He has also been awarded Razzies for the likes of Hubie Halloween and Pixels. Luckily, his newest project, Hustle, seems to be a slam dunk.
Helmed by Jeremiah Zagar and authored by Will Fetters, Hustle is definitely atypical, and this isn’t solely because of it being a Sandler movie without male nudity. It’s one of those rare films which cast athletes next to actors, so that the audience gets a cinematic feel when watching the workouts. There’s a definite fluid and documentary style to it. What’s best about Hustle is that it mixes fantasy with reality in a good way, with the placement of real places and people around the subject of a basketball phenom’s discovery.
It’s every hopper’s dream to be witnessed while he works out, such as by a scout passing by while he’s draining three, although this happens too rarely. This however, doesn’t prevent Sandler’s Stanley from hopping the globe looking for the next superstar of the NBA. He’s a member of the 76ers, and flies around the world on the behest of the club owner (played by Robert Duvall) who “gets” him, and his successor (played by Ben Foster) who doesn’t. Things take a turn when Foster’s character takes over the business.
Stanley is left with the job of landing the next draft pick, and this takes him all the way to a Spanish basketball court where he sees the game being dominated by a local player (played by Juancho Hernangomez of the NBA). His character, Bo Cruz, is talented and tall, as well as resolute when it comes to taking care of his mother and daughter. Bo and Stanley team up, and this is where the movie starts feeling a lot like Rocky. The tone is certainly achieved thanks to all the time the camera shows theme training together, plus the sheer number of athletes that producer Lebron James managed to rope in for the project.
The movie hits a serious note for the most part, and provides a stark contrast to Sandler’s other films which are Happy Madison-produced. Zagar proves that he knows exactly what people want, and places Stanley in all sorts of absurd situations in order to make the best of his charisma. It’s for sure that we all want to see Sandler losing it over missed shots, making jokes about death, and trash-talking NBA players. The same holds for him cursing in the stereotypical South Philly accent, and that the filmmakers certainly deliver.
The practical jokes bring in a layer of fun to the script and keep Hustle from turning too sappy. You often see basketball movies turning out to be real tear-jerkers, but Sandler and Zagar trade all that in for a mix of flair, humor, and heart. The cinematography by Zak Mulligan has a sort of smooth flow that keeps the story weaving in and out like a point guard that’s on fast break. Editor Tom Costain manages to keep the pace fixed at an easy clip, with the film consequently being endlessly watchable, in most part due to the actors’ craft. This is certainly Sandler’s most complete film to date.
