Directed by Josh Greenbaum – Starring Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, and Aaron Chen
A former tennis player finds himself reluctantly pulled into the world of competitive pickleball.
The Dink feels like someone dusted off the blueprint for an old Adam Sandler sports comedy and decided to make it about pickleball.
It’s broad and silly, has a less-than-athletic underdog sports hero, some daddy issues, a little awkward romance, a bunch of cameos, and just enough heart holding everything together.
Jake Johnson is a good fit for this kind of thing. I’ve always liked him, and he has a natural ability to play slightly schlubby, frustrated guys while remaining incredibly likable. Mary Steenburgen is also very good and brings some warmth to the movie, while Ed Harris gets to do some comedy, which we don’t see from him very often.
Aaron Chen steals the movie as the offbeat best friend. He’s operating on a slightly different wavelength from everyone around him, and some of the biggest laughs come from simply waiting to see where he’s going to take a scene.
I can’t say I ever became particularly invested in the outcome. The emotional side of the story mostly felt like the framework needed to hold the comedy together. But that didn’t bother me very much.
I liked the cast. Enough of the jokes landed, the cameos were fun, and I was perfectly fine spending time with these characters until the credits rolled.
Verdict: Good Time
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