Adam Sandler is more compelling in dramatic roles than comedic ones. There, I said it. Hustle, a solemn sports movie (somewhere in the wheelhouse of Jerry Maguire and Last Chance U), is more evidence of this.
Sandler plays Stanley Sugerman, a former college player with a dark past who has been turned into an NBA scout. (NOTE: Hollywood is seemingly running out of names. Jerry Maguire’s unforgettable villain agent was Bob Sugar.)
Unfortunately, Sugerman’s job for the Philadelphia 76ers requires him to log more miles than George Clooney in Up In The Air and be away from his wife–an under-utilized Queen Latifah, and their likable but underachieving teenage daughter, an aspiring filmmaker.
As he medicates on an obscene diet of fast food, Sugerman yearns for a coaching position so he can have more family time.
Be warned: Sandler’s paunchy physique is a running, albeit somber, punch line. There’s humor in Hustle, but not many laughs. Hustle’s script stays clear of commenting on Sandler’s graying beard, which makes him look downright biblical.
Ultimately, Sugerman becomes a savior – and vice versa – to an equally downcast Bo Cruz, a talented but thin-skinned playground unicorn from Spain. Inexplicably, Cruz, who’s played by NBA player Juancho Hernangomez, hoops in construction boots – and has not been discovered prior to Sugerman’s arrival. The former is Cruz’s most colorful detail. Cruz can slam and swat shots with the best of ‘em, boots or not, but his succinct dialogue is wanting. Hustle trusts Juancho to deliver the rock, but not Shakespearean or even He Got Game moments. However, there’s a running joke about Cruz’s expensive porn habit.
From left, Lucia Cruz (Ainhao Pillet), Paola Cruz (Maria Botto), Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez), and Stanley Sugerman (Adam Sandler), photo courtesy Pittsburgh Magazine
Hustle gets points for not being too predictable. There are twists and plenty of the obligatory sports-movie training montages, which Hustle manages to make somewhat fresh. Still, a training montage is a training montage.
No surprise, Hustle, which takes place in Philadelphia, references Rocky. Instead of running the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cruz runs an unforgiving hill as Sandler rides along in a car holding a stopwatch. Before one early morning run, Sugerman gifts Bo a pair of Kobe Bryant’s sneakers.
As expected, Hustle has plenty of scenes of men doing spectacular things with a round ball, providing unbridled joy and perhaps some sort of salvation to hundreds of onlookers. It’s YouTube on steroids.
In true Sandler fashion, an overabundance of real-life basketball legends – Dr. J. Allen Iverson, Jay Wright, to name a few – make cameos. Sometimes less is more. Please reference He Got Game. Former NBAer-turned commentator Kenny Smith has a legitimate role as Sugerman’s best friend, and he acquits himself quite well.
But no doubt, from the opening tip to the final whistle, the bittersweet Hustle is Sandler’s game. He makes Hustle flow.
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Jon Hart is the author of Man versus Ball: One Ordinary Guy and His Extraordinary Sports Adventures and its undeserved sequel, Unfortunately, I was available.
