TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE
RYAN: Clint Eastwood has returned to his acting roots in Trouble with the Curve, a new baseball film co-starring Amy Adams and JT.
CAROLINE: We adore Amy so I was very concerned about the casting of Justin Timberlake. I mean, seriously – how can one expect him to hold his own against the likes of these two multiply Academy Award-nominated folks?
RYAN: Exactly! However, he actually does a fine job, and while he’s still not the actor that Amy Adams is, I think sharing the screen with her elevated his performance. And he looks pretty cute too.
CAROLINE: I agree completely. He pleasantly surprised me with an understated performance. The problem with him is that he’s such a superstar that you can’t help but think, “Hey, there’s Justin Timberlake on the big screen.”
RYAN: At least he doesn’t fall into the trap that many female pop stars have when it comes to movies – Mariah Carey and Madonna anyone?
CAROLINE: This movie is completely sappy and a little trite, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. I wouldn’t call it a family film per se, but it’s definitely family friendly and very PG-13, though some of the themes are a little dark and heavy. I’ll have you know I misted up no less than 6 times during this movie.
RYAN: [laughs’ You’re not a dork; I misted up twice and totally loved this movie. It got me. It’s equally great as a relationship drama between father and daughter and romance between Amy and JT as it is a sports movie. I don’t know anything about baseball statistics and the draft, but this film actually managed to hold my interest during those scenes.
CAROLINE: Totally! I found myself invested in the baseball draft, which is not something I’ve ever conceived of before. Clint gives his usual strong performance, which includes lots of grunting.
RYAN: Indeed, he does his best Christian-Bale-as-Batman voice throughout the entire film. But he also gives a softer, more emotional performance than I remember him doing before.
CAROLINE: Yes, he made me weep many times. I was embarrassed at how many times I had to wipe away tears.
RYAN: This move totally could have been a sequel to Gran Torino by the by; he’s just as much of a curmudgeon in this one.
CAROLINE: Ha, I know. The supporting cast includes John Goodman, one very puffy Matthew Lillard and the guy from Terminator 2.
RYAN: OMG that’s right! I couldn’t place him; he’s totally the guy from T2. He’s got a very Lifetime Original Movie look about him.
CAROLINE: Here’s one thing I could have done without – the opening scene of Clint Eastwood taking a piss. Gag.
RYAN: Yeah, that was humor for the silver-haired set.
CAROLINE: I got the joke, but I didn’t necessarily want to see it on the big screen.
RYAN: And what was his onscreen doctor’s hair?! It’s the worst movie hair I’ve seen since the Twilight films, and this movie is not a fantasy.
CAROLINE: That was the worst rug ever! It was inexplicably bad. I was almost ready for a joke to be made about it in the movie. So overall, while I really liked this movie and would definitely recommend it, it’s very predictable and a bit sappy. It didn’t ruin my opinion of the film, but it’s certainly not the best screenplay ever and it has zero edge. But who are we kidding, I loved all the romantical stuff between Amy Adams and JT. And the father/daughter stuff made it a big-time weeper. But it made me laugh a few times too.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: It’s more cute and heartwarming than anything else. Like any good sports movie, it has a few great edge-of-your-seat sporting moments. It’s really one that will appeal to guys and girls alike and people of all ages, except for the very young. And I just love everything that Amy Adams does.
CAROLINE: She’s a great actress for sure. I can’t wait for her to win an Oscar. Having said that, it probably won’t be for this movie. But she and JT had great chemistry and seemed very natural together. I loved all of their scenes. It’s a very solid film overall; not the best movie you’ll see this year, but very likable and funny, sad, tense, heartwarming and joyful all at the same time.
— RATING —