Adam Sandler so seldom steps outside of his man-child comedy comfort zone that his more dramatic excursions, particularly punch-drunk love and uncut gems, are uniquely rewarding. Ditto for the rare comedy in which the actor’s ruse is contained, channeled into nuanced characterization, like Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). It’s exhilarating and poignant to see Sandler in Hustle as basketball scout Stanley Sugarman, a man whose infectious passion for the sport continually finds himself up against a wall of defeat. The Netflix feature sticks to the formulaic demands of inspirational sports drama while offering plenty of individuality and characters worth rooting for.
At first glance, this seems like a job for hire for up-and-coming director Jeremiah Zagar, who transitioned from documentary to narrative feature with one of the Sundance 2018 discoveries, We the Animals. Lyrical and impressionistic, this film drew comparisons to Terrence Malick for its evocation of a troubled childhood in the blazing heat of a rural landscape.
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release date: Wednesday 8 June
Pour: Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Juancho Hernangómez, Ben Foster, Kenny Smith, Anthony Edwards, Robert Duvall
director: Jeremiah Zagar
screenwriters: Taylor Materne, Will Fetters
Rated R, 1 hour 57 minutes
Hustle is more tied to the basics of conventional storytelling, but Zagar and cinematographer Zak Mulligan’s tactile ability to capture bodies in motion yields a distinct brand of visual poetry here again, and the director’s heartfelt observation of family dynamics fulfills what basically a heart is drama of two men trying to overcome bad luck and secure their redemption arcs.
The fanatical devotion to basketball of Sandler – a producer here alongside LeBron James – breathes loving life into a film full of guest appearances by celebrated NBA stars, coaches and streetball heroes. It’s a love letter to the sport, but also to Philadelphia, its music and its feverish culture of sports fandom, evident in atmospheric shots of murals across the city depicting basketball legends. But whether you’re a basketball fan or not, the solid script by Taylor Materne (NBA video game writer) and Will Fetters (Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born remake) pulls you into the underdog story on a human level.
Tired of endless traveling and being separated from his wife Teresa (Queen Latifah) and their teenage daughter Alex (Jordan Hull), Stanley finally gets his wish when his longtime boss, Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall), owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, fires him from the Scout assistant coach transferred to scout.
But Rex’s sudden death leaves his aggressive son Vince (Ben Foster) in charge of the business and pushes his smarter and more level-headed sister Kat (Heidi Gardner) out of managerial decisions. Not only does this leave Stanley without allies, but he works for a hothead with whom he has repeatedly clashed. Eager to find the missing piece that will take the ’76s to the championship, Vince undoes his father’s directive and sends Stanley back into the field.
That means more thankless weeks of international airports, hotels and fast food, but a bright spark lights the horizon as he stumbles onto a game in a street square in Mallorca, Spain. It’s dominated by a heavily tattooed giant named Bo Cruz (NBA player Juancho Hernangómez), who displays the natural skills of a budding star. And in a field where professional scouts know every gifted player on the planet, the rarest find is 22-year-old construction worker Bo – an unknown talent with the speed, defensive skills and shooting accuracy to go all the way in the league .
How much Sandler suppresses his prankster instincts and still finds the natural humor in slovenly Stanley is shown in his first contact attempts with Bo. This happens first on a public bus with the imperfect help of an English-Spanish translation app, and then at Bo’s home, which he shares with his mother, Paola (María Botto) and young daughter, Lucia (Ainhoa Pillet). Bo is initially reluctant to miss work and be away from Lucia, but when Paola hears the potential starting salary of $900,000, she insists he fly with Stanley to Philly and try for the 76ers.
The sports drama’s scripting rules require hurdles, and those come primarily from Vince, who dismisses Stanley’s find for lack of team experience. There’s also a previous breach of law that suggests the Spanish discovery could be prone to violence, a problem that later appears to have been confirmed when he responds to cocky player Kermit Wilts (Anthony Edwards) baiting during a showcase game. But Stanley’s belief in Bo, and his weariness in the face of Vince’s arrogance and inflexibility, prompts him to quit his job and fund the young player’s training himself, alarming Teresa.
The script eschews Bo jogging up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but in many ways the early morning workouts are reminiscent of Rocky and the time-honored tradition in sports movies of the diamond-in-the-rock newcomer going up against the pros.
These scenes also work because a genuine friendship and mutual respect has developed between Stanley and Bo, two men who share a desire to excel at sport but also to do what’s right for their families. While neither is shy about their accomplishments, both men are basically decent guys, with enough humility and awareness of their flaws to make them good company in the film’s fast-paced two hours.
Zagar (a South Philly native) and Mulligan capture the action of the sport in all its lively excitement and up the energy with quick edits from editors Tom Costain, Brian M. Robinson and Keiko Deguchi to do justice to the fancy footwork. There’s also a slick use of social media as Stanley Bos builds his reputation through streetball challenges after Vince publicly discredits him, with amateur videos making him a YouTube sensation. The use of Spanish pop and hip-hop, including a number of Philly musicians, keeps these scenes buzzing, folded with Dan Deacon’s effective electronic score.
There are places where Hustle slips into cliché – some of the prepackaged pep talk, a miraculous last chance right after a discouraged departure from the airport. But the film has a depth of emotion and a disarming sincerity that makes you want to watch. Even the inevitable triumph feels refreshingly understated.
The director showed his skill at eliciting complex shades from the amateur actors playing the three teenage boys in We the Animals, and he gets remarkable work here from Hernangómez, who was immensely likable and compelling in his first film role. His former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Edwards also shines as Bo’s main antagonist, while NBA player and sports commentator Kenny Smith looks similarly relaxed on camera to Leon Rich, a sports agent whose loyalty to Stanley dates back to their college basketball days.
On the plus side, it’s nice to be reminded, if only in a few brief scenes, of the shrewd intelligence of the elderly statesman Duvall, and Foster plays the stubborn smugness of nepotism without tipping into the Don Jr. caricature. Queen Latifah brings her usual laid-back glow with a no-BS edge, making the standard supportive wife role a comfortable presence, and Hull is appealing as the daughter aiming to get into film school. A scene where Stanley and Bo’s families meet over dinner is lovely, and Alex quietly swooning at the handsome Spaniard is a sweet touch.
This is definitely Sandler’s film, and it makes Stanley human, even as he’s yelling down the phone what he deserves after the 30 years he’s given the League. The performance is enhanced by the actor’s love of basketball, which accounts for the welcome lack of showboating as he tones down his trademark comical quirks and puts them at the service of character and story, not star. He makes hustle sweet and satisfying.