Sandler hustles his way to the top
Hustle (13+, 118 mins) Directed by Jeremiah Zagar Reviewed by Graeme Tuckett ★★★★
It seems like a lovely swing of the fates to me that Adam Sandler cemented his international stardom with The Waterboy and Happy Gilmore – a brace of sporadically brilliant sports comedies – and is now locking down his reputation as a top-drawer ‘‘serious’’ actor by starring in a sports-based drama.
Sandler’s star rose hugely a couple of years ago, when the incandescent Uncut Gems dropped. His performance in that film really should have picked up an Oscar nomination.
To anyone who had been following Sandler’s sporadic ‘‘serious’’ career since his startling lead in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love in 2002, that Uncut Gems turn wasn’t such a shock.
But to now see Sandler follow up, only two or three years later, with work like Hustle, makes me at least keep a couple of fingers crossed that we might see a lot more of him in non-comedy (but not unfunny) roles like this.
Hustle features Sandler as Stanley Sugarman, a once on-fire talent scout at the mighty Philadelphia 76ers NBA franchise.
But now, in his 50s and feeling every year of it, Stanley is a fading force, not quite commanding the respect of the team’s new young owner and contemplating his last years in a job he has devoted his life and considerable talents to.
A trip to Spain yields an encounter with an astonishing raw talent, the sort of nugget that scouts spend their careers dreaming of but very seldom uncover.
Stanley brings the troubled Bo’ to the United States with his own money and then tries to set him on the NBA career path he is convinced he can earn.
It is the blueprint of a sturdy and perhaps crowd-pleasing sports movie. And I figure, if you’ve read this far, then you know the blueprint of a rookie-makes-goodand-redeems-the-coach movie at least as well as I do, and all that matters to you is whether Hustle can deliver on the promise. Well, hell yes.
Hustle is a deft, dense, gritty, well-written and researched lash at the genre.
Director Jeremiah Zagar only has one other feature film on his CV, but it is the extraordinary We The Animals.
On the strength of that film, Sandler – as producer – was convinced that this relative newcomer was the only person to steer this project.
With a cast of genuine NBA stars playing themselves – and the Utah Jazz’s Juancho Hernangomez as Bo’, Hustle arrives loaded with credibility and personalities.
Zagar deploys all this real-life talent with a near-documentary style, that especially pays dividends during the many oncourt scenes.
This film has a grit and an authenticity that very few sports movies have attained.
With Queen Latifah, Ben Foster and Robert Duvall in support, Hustle is never short of tested acting talent either.
But Sandler, looking for all the world like a contender for the roles that John Turturro might have once appeared in, is the star here.
As in Uncut Gems, Sandler is sensational, turning in a shrewd, vulnerable, likeable and utterly believable piece of work. More please.
Hustle is now available to stream on Netflix.