by Henry Pham
Apple’s The Dink centers on a washed-up former tennis prodigy, Dusty Boyd, who works as a tennis coach at his father Chuck’s suburban country club. Desperate for his father’s approval, Dusty supports Chuck’s vendetta against the new craze taking over the club: pickleball. However, when Dusty aggravates an old wrist injury, which takes away his ability to play tennis, the doctor advises him to play pickleball for rehab. As he reluctantly does so, he meets his new partner, Candace. As he plays pickleball with her, Dusty is forced to finally confront his past and battle against his childhood nemesis, a famed tennis player, Andy Roddick, to not only become the best sports player ever, but to save the country club and win his father’s respect.
Jake Johnson (Fox’s New Girl) stars as Dusty Boyd, a former tennis player and son of country club owner Chuck (Ed Harris, Apollo 13), who now teaches tennis to children, while Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard) appears as his supportive pickleball partner, Candace. Johnson and Steenburgen bring humor, energy, and chemistry to their roles, with Johnson’s comedic background enhancing the film’s appeal. The supporting cast – including actors Ben Stiller (Meet the Parents), Aaron Chen (ABC’s Fisk), and Chloe Fineman (NBC’s Saturday Night Live), along with cameo appearances by comedians and tennis players Andy Roddick and John McEnroe – also add comedy and depth to the film.
Josh Greenbaum, known for directing Will & Harper and the upcoming Spaceballs: The New One, directs this sports comedy, with a script penned by comedy writer Sean Clements. The film’s pickleball-focused plot appeals to fans of both sports and comedy, mostly those who admired tennis. Greenbaum blends humor, strong language, sports ambition, and witty dialogue. The cinematography shots of the pickleball came out strong. The film draws comparisons to Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, but centers on a man striving to secure his father’s country club. Influences and the film’s atmosphere from the Happy Gilmore films are highly evident in the plot’s focus on sports competition and celebrity cameos.
With 103 minutes of tennis and pickleball adventures, Jake Johnson hilariously plays hardball in this humongous underdog sports comedy in The Dink. The entire cast really fit the bill on this one. While Steenburgen is wonderful to watch, Johnson (who also serves as one of the film’s producers) is the heart of the story, with humor, heart, honesty, and wit. His profession in comedy makes me laugh a lot at various times during the movie. I know comedy films may not be suited for everyone, but this is a reinvention of sports-comedy movies. I feel like whenever a comedy movie is produced, there’s romance being placed on the side. But I’m glad romance is not part of those themes in this, thankfully. Still, it is entertainably good, if not perfect. I can’t wait to see more sports comedy in the future offered by many comedic stars.
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