Trouble With The Curve Review

Paige Solomon ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff

I had a lot of trouble with Trouble With the Curve. Not only was the acting mediocre, but it was predictable at best.
The movie follows the story of Gus (Clint Eastwood), a frail, old man- I describe him as such because the movie emphasizes his age to the point of exhaustion- that scouts high school and college baseball players for the Atlanta Braves. His daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), struggles to juggle her full time job as a lawyer and reconnect with her father, as she attempts to aid him in scouting a baseball player.
The film starts out slow and doesn’t improve as it progresses. At the beginning of the film, you are introduced to Clint Eastwood’s character. He stomps around his house kicking and breaking his furniture, mumbling to himself. I was unsure whether I was supposed to feel sympathy for him or was supposed to like him; the filmmaker’s intentions for the opening scenes were unclear. What I took away from it was that Eastwood’s character is an angry old man, however the reasons why were unknown. What puzzled me the most, though, was that Eastwood’s acting was that of a rookie’s. He seemed robotic, like he had to force his emotions into the character. Also the witty remarks the writers threw into the film fell flat. The remarks intentions were to make the audience respond with laughter, but silence filled the theatre. The charm and humor Eastwood usually brings to the big screen was lacking. Eastwood’s performance lacked the passion it needed.
Justin Timberlake, on the other hand, did add levity and charm that made the film a little more bearable. Timberlake’s character, Johnny, used to be a pitcher but due to an arm injury he was out of the sport permanently, thus leading him to become a scout for the Red Sox. Not usually being a fan of Timberlake’s acting, he was the one character that added wit and charm to the movie.
The thing that bothered me the most about this movie was that I did not believe for a second that Adams and Eastwood were father and daughter. I understand that they were supposed to have a broken relationship, but even their fighting wasn’t believable. There was no chemistry I felt between Gus and Mickey.
Having been surrounded by baseball my whole life, but not to the extent at which Adams’ character was exposed to the game, I could relate to this film in many ways. I appreciate the reliability of the film to girls in this situation or situations that are similar. Although the movie lacked in a lot of areas, it was still a good movie for any girl that can relate.
See It: If you enjoy heartwarming stories about broken relationships being fixed, falling in love, and baseball.
Don’t See It: If you are a boy or girl that is a huge fan of the sport and are expecting a movie purely about baseball.