A Swing and Miss for Trouble With the Curve

photo courtesy of imdb.com

This week’s (well since I’m behind, the first of two) new movie review is on a movie I probably wouldn’t choose to go see myself. My normal movie partner in crime was busy this time, and so I needed a replacement. Since they were doing me a favor I let them choose the movie. That’s how I ended up seeing the Clint Eastwood drama Trouble With the Curve.

Trouble With the Curve stars Clint Eastwood as aging Atlanta Braves baseball scout Gus Lobel. Since it is the 21^st century, and people are relying more and more on technology, Gus’s way of scouting is seen as obsolete. He doesn’t use computers. Instead, he relies newspapers, watching the games, and good old fashioned instinct. Unfortunately, this process takes longer than the bosses like, and Gus is sent out on a last chance scouting trip to North Carolina see if he still has what it takes. This might be even more of a problem for Gus since he is having vision problems, and refuses treatment for them.

Enter Amy Adams as Mickey Lobel- Gus’s daughter. Mickey and Gus don’t really see eye to eye, and their relationship can be described as rocky at best. However, being a loyal daughter, Mickey is worried about Gus being alone in North Carolina, and flies down to help him. Of course, this is a Clint Eastwood movie, and Eastwood has been notorious in the last few decades for playing grumpy, stubborn, old men, so naturally Gus doesn’t want any help from Mickey. Meanwhile, Mickey is going through her own issues. She takes time off of her job at a law firm just as she is being considered for partner to help her father. Also, it’s apparent that she has been unlucky in love. Cue Justin Timberlake as a former player and rival scout who has a friendly history with Gus and wants more than a friendly future with Mickey. All of it boils down to one big pot of drama- Eastwood style.

When you go to see a Clint Eastwood movie, you go expecting the best. Unfortunately, Trouble With the Curve is subpar. The movie is predictable through and through. It may have some heartwarming moments, but in the end, it’s not hard to figure out what’s coming next. The family drama is a little tired. The whole mom died young and dad doesn’t know what to do with the kids bit has been seen before. The dance between tender moments and dad getting angry and pushing away again follows steps that frequent moviegoers could do on autopilot. Also, the unlucky in love, closed-off career woman meeting a charming, good-looking fellow trying to woo her in spite of her cold shoulder is another bit that’s been played out. All of the drama story lines are a little cliché.  After the first 20 minutes you can have a good guess of how the ending is going to go.

The only thing that saved the movie from being cheesy was the acting. Eastwood and Adams had a sweet chemistry as father and daughter. Their combination worked well together. It was kind of like sugar and spice. Eastwood is all gruff and snarl, while Adams is sweet and soft spoken. However, as sweet as she seems, her character Mickey has a bite, and is also a take-charge, and take care of herself type of woman. I am not normally a Justin Timberlake fan, as I often have a hard time taking him as a serious actor after his ‘NSYNC days. In Trouble With the Curve though, he did a decent enough job for me to relax a little and take him more seriously as Johnny Flanagan. Timberlake and Adams were okay as an on-screen couple, but wouldn’t be my ideal pairing. Maybe that’s just because I’m obsessed with Ryan Gosling and envision him sweeping everyone off their feet.

photo courtesy of imdb.com

Although Eastwood is always impressive, and takes control of any scene he’s in, I have to say that I was a little underwhelmed. Not that he didn’t do an amazing job as always, because he gave a stellar performance, it was just one I feel like I’ve seen before. Eastwood was in cantankerous old man mode. He had his classic one-liners, and at times snarled more than talked, and did it all with sincerity. My problem is that I was hoping for a change of pace from Eastwood. His performance and character reminded me too much of his last few performances in Gran Torino and Million Dollar Baby.

I did get a kick out of Matthew Lillard and John Goodman’s characters. With Lillard as an antagonist slime ball looking to get Gus sacked, and Goodman as Gus’s old friend looking out for him and Mickey, they added a little extra to the movie. Both actors did good jobs, and I’ll admit that I’ve loved Lillard since Scream, and who doesn’t have a soft spot for Goodman? Their roles might not have been the biggest, but I enjoyed what screen time they did have.

I do have to say, for a drama revolving around baseball, I found the baseball parts easy to follow- and I know nothing about baseball. It wasn’t too heavy or too light on the sport. I actually found myself getting into some of the baseball scenes.

In the end, Trouble With the Curve was a nice, lighthearted drama. However, unless you’re a die-hard Eastwood fan, it’s a movie I’d recommend waiting for Redbox. Its not a total skip, if you’re looking for something that leaves you with a feel-good ending then go ahead and rent it. There are charming moments, and it’s always a treat to get a whiff of Eastwood’s charisma. Overall, on a grading system, I’d give Trouble With the Curve a C+. It was easy to sit through, and enjoyable at times, but just too predictable for me to get over.