Hustle – Great Sports Drama
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Writer: Will Fetters, Taylor Materne (Screenplay)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Ben Foster, Robert Duvall, Queen Latifah, Juancho Hernangomez, Jaleel White, Anthony Edwards
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.
Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Hustle starts as we meet the Philadelphia 76ers scout Stanley Sugerman (Sandler) who travels the world searching for the next talent for the team, always seeing something other players, standing up to the owner Rex (Duvall) son Vince (Foster), getting a promotion to assistant head coach for the team.
After Rex’s dies, Vince becomes owner of the team, putting Stanley back on the road away from his family, taking away this dream away once again. Stanley finds himself in Spain, where he sees a street ball player Bo (Hernangomez) who he sees the talent of the next great superstar in the sport.
Thoughts on Hustle
Characters & Performances – Stanley Sugerman is a famous basketball scout for the Philadelphia 76ers hoping one day to be part of the coaching team, getting that chance, only to have it ripped away from him. Back on the road, he finds a new prospect that could become the next great talent. Stanely is risks his reputation to give this talent a chance to step out of the scouting world he feels trapped in. Bo Cruz is the timid Spanish construction worker that has unbelievable talent that Stanley sees in him. He gets to travel to America to earn a try out with this being a chance to breakout. He will need to train for this career, improve his game to the next level if he is ever going to make it, learning the mental and physical side of the game. Vince Merrick is the new co-owner that takes Stanley’s dream away from him, he never understood the game like his father did and how important Stanley is to the team. Teresa is the supporting wife that wants to see Stanley happy, pushing him to do the right thing with his life.
Adam Sandler proves once again he can step out of the comedy roles that are too slapstick, to playing a character that will have humor at times, without it needing to rely on them. Juancho Hernangomez makes an excellent debut in the film world, looking like the superstar basketball player. Queen Latifah and Ben Foster fill the supporting cast well, giving the important moments in the film a chance to shine.
Story – Hustle follows a scout that has found some of the best basketball players in recent years, waiting for his chance to get to coach the team, seeing that dream shattered, leaving him with a chance to make one unknown player the biggest name in the league, teaching him how to prepare for the game outside of the street games. Hustle is the type of story that will look to bring the highlights of how talent can be found anywhere and it is about encouraging it, while still believing in chasing dreams. One of the biggest downsides for the story, comes from if you don’t understand how basketball works, when it comes to recruiting, try outs etc, you will find yourself lost with how it all comes together.
Themes – Hustle is a sports drama that will have sprinkles of comedy to lighten the mood. The sports side will have plenty of basketball involved, from games to training, not being afraid to give us a montage training session, which can go on longer than they need to, if we are honest.
Final Thoughts – Hustle is a great sports drama, showing talent can come from anywhere.