Trouble With the Curve
It’s been nearly 20 years since Clint Eastwood starred in a movie he wasn’t also behind the camera for. That film was 1993’s “In the Line of Fire,” and it was not only a great thriller, but is one of Eastwood’s best performances. Neither of those adjectives qualify for “Trouble With the Curve,” which is directed by first-timer (and long-time Eastwood associate) Robert Lorenz, and scripted by Randy Brown, who, evidently, studied Eastwood’s last few films (in particular, the Oscar-winning “Million Dollar Baby”) studiously so that no story beat would be unfamiliar for the legendary actor. This is Eastwood’s first time in front of the camera since 2008’s “Gran Torino,” and I have to wonder why he felt the need to get back to acting with this role.
If I sound like I’m going to give the film a critical butt-whooping, I wouldn’t hold your breathe. Yes, it hits a lot of the old, Eastwood film cliches (fractured parent-child relationships, the old pro with guilt in his heart, as well as an underdog sense of muted triumph that brings to mind “Baby” and “Space Cowboys”), to say nothing of all the familiar sports movie conventions, but Eastwood, Amy Adams, and Justin Timberlake keep us interested in these characters, and what’s going to happen with them in the end.
Eastwood plays Gus (what, not named Frank this time, Clint?), a baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves who understands more about the game from watching the players than his younger counterparts can get from a computer. (As an aside, it’s interesting that this film came out a year after last year’s instant classic, “Moneyball,” which argued the opposite viewpoint on current player scouting.) But Gus’s eyes are failing him, and at the worst possible time, as the team needs someone to scout a hot-shot high school player for the upcoming draft. Word is that this player could be a superstar, and the Braves are more than a little interested. Gus is a stubborn bastard, however, and he takes the trip to North Carolina to check the kid out. His friend, Pete (John Goodman), is worried, though, so he asks Gus’s daughter, Mickey (Adams), to go up there with him and help him out. A successful lawyer, and on her way to making partner, Mickey reluctantly agrees because, even after their tense past together, she still loves him. Needless to say, they hit some rough patches along the way, but there are life lessons (and a potential romantic partner for Mickey in Timberlake’s player-turned-scout) that can only be discovered the hard way.
If you’ve seen any of the ads, you know what to expect from this movie. Though it’s comparatively lighter than most of Eastwood’s most recent films (helped by strong, just-funny-enough work by all three actors), it still takes you where you expect an Eastwood movie to go (and at a pace that makes the film’s 111 minutes feel like twice that at times). But I’m still a sucker for sports movies (and come on, any film that features Atlanta and our own Bravos is good in my book), and all of the main actors (especially the luminous Adams, who keeps getting better and better) know how to push my buttons. It’s not a highlight on anyone’s resume, but it is an enjoyable lark of a movie, and at 82 (and after a career of great, sometimes remarkable, work), I’ll forgive Eastwood if he wants to do the occasional popcorn entertainment. Even if it isn’t a great performance, it’s obvious that it’s a role he cared about playing. He made me care, as well.
