Hustle Review

Hustle is not a movie that uses a lot of theatrics to attract its audience. Its charm lies in its authenticity. It doesn’t waste any screen time on overly dramatic moments, instead, the focus remains on the sport. Adam Sandler returns to the big screen in the shoes of a scout for a basketball team. It’s a rule that suits him well if I’m being honest. With his brand of dry humor and his acting experience, he settles into the persona of Stanley Sugerman incredibly well. Stanley’s on the lookout for the next big thing but it’s not going to be a walk in the park. For starters, let’s just say his promising prospects don’t look that promising. From lying about their age, to getting injured, to doing drugs, none of the players seem to leave an impression on him.

The beginning of the movie features shot transitions that look like someone’s sifting through postcards. Besides the fact that they’re pretty cool to look at, they make it clear that Stanley’s life is nothing but long flights and hotel nights spent gorging on fast food while he’s preparing to scout the next diamond in the rough. However, his efforts aren’t quite fruitful. To add insult to injury, he has very few friends left in the team administration, and nobody really recognizes his efforts as a team scout. When all feels quite lost and he starts to feel more burnt out than ever before, he gets that coveted position of assistant team coach. Besides being his dream job, the decision also means Stanley will be able to spend time close to home again. All is well at the Stanley household, for a day at least. Then Rex, who’s the team owner and Stanley’s last remaining friend in management, passes and his son takes the helm. Then it’s back to square one for Stanley, who’s instantly demoted back to the position of team scout.

Once again a sense of despair permeates the film. “You really didn’t think it was going to be this easy, did you?” the film seems to snap back at us. Luckily for Stanley, Bo Cruz comes in to save the day. Stanley spots him in a game of street ball in Spain and is instantly captivated by the young man’s play. It’s his eureka moment and he’s in disbelief that no one has noticed this guy. After a lot of convincing, he manages to bring Bo Cruz along with him to America for a chance at the big leagues. From here on out, the film sort of settles into a cliché sports movie. There’s the inevitable training montage, the underhanded rival, and moments of brilliance from the underdog protagonist. The movie has everything. Despite all this, the movie doesn’t make for a boring experience. In fact, the clichés are well pulled off, and although you see them coming from a mile away, it is still cool to see them play out.

What I liked about Hustle is the fact that the movie delivers on its promise. It doesn’t try to be more than a sports movie. While this may mean lost potential to some, to me and presumably a lot of others, it meant finally watching an honest sports movie with actual games. It’s worth mentioning here that all the casted players are actual professional basketball players and make the games look all the more convincing. There are also the supporting acts that keep the illusion intact. Both Stanley’s family and Bo’s family provide the movie with its emotional stakes. For these people, everything is on the line as both coach and player reach out for a chance at their life-long dreams. By the end, you want nothing more than for Bo and Stanley to make it to the NBA.

What lies at the center of Hustle’s appeal is the relationship between Bo and Stan. They’re both men trying to do the best for their families and find common ground in the mistakes of the past that haunt them. It’s what keeps them connected despite everything the world tries to throw at them. Stanley keeps believing in Bo’s ability and he ultimately delivers. A lot of the credit goes to Adam Sandler, who’s in an amazing creative space and has become a gem that keeps on giving. It’s great to see him break out of his mold of doing mainly comedy movies and proving his mettle in Uncut Gems and now hustle. No doubt that some of that gem dust brushed off on Juancho Hernangomez, who we no doubt will be seeing in some more movies.

All in all, Hustle is packed with quality entertainment both for NBA fans and non-fans alike. There are a lot of cameos and familiar player dynamics to be seen in the movie for NBA enthusiasts, but there’s plenty of heart and grit for those unfamiliar with the NBA as well.

Rating the Film:

Visuals: 4/5

Plot: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Music: 4/5

Originality: 2/5

Seater Score: 3.4/5