My Review of "Hustle (2022)"

Hustle is Netflix's newest Adam Sandler movie. We've seen Adam Sandler in more serious roles but when it comes to Happy Madison productions, it's usually the goofball humor that we're expecting. This is a bit of a change of pace but I'm all in if this is the new direction they're taking.

The movie starts out with a National Basketball Association (NBA) scout named Stanley. He goes around the world to find hidden talent for the NBA draft. There are a specific set of criteria so he can't just be finding anyone. They have to have certain characteristics, age range, set of skills and work ethic.

This isn't exactly what Stanley wants to do with his basketball career. His true aspiration is to become a coach for the NBA. He's worked for 30 years in the league and has built up a pretty darn good reputation for himself.

His boss, the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers realizes Stanley's goals and finally announces Stanley's move to become an assistant coach. Unfortunately this doesn't last long as the owner dies not too long after his announcement. Instead the owner's son, Vince, has taken over. Stanley and Vince don't have a great relationship but Vince understands Stanley's value. Obviously Vince takes Stanley out of the assistant coach position and places him back in the air to go scouting again.

As he travels the world he's met with a ton of talent but none of them really fit this particular set of criteria. That is until one fateful day while he is in the middle of some city in Spain.

Dealing with some amateur sports teams they don't exactly know what Stanley is looking for. Fed up decides he wants to go to the local basketball court to blow off some steam. There he discovers a hidden talent that surprisingly fits all his criteria.

Excited for this amazing prospect Stanley is willing to go to great lengths to get this kid an opportunity. This is basically the story of the movie. It's simplicity is what makes this movie all the more satisfying. There's not too many convoluted side stories to take you away from the heart of the movie.

As I mentioned before Happy Madison movies are not known for mature stories. They're more known for goofy slapstick comedies. There are a few elements of that in this movie. We have the odd awkward goofy joke and run-on jokes that play throughout the movie but they help give this movie a little accent.

This follows pretty much the same sports movie formula that we're used to and where better to do a sports movie than in Philadelphia. You will see some homages to the Rocky movies. If you're an NBA fan you'll recognize a lot of special guest cameos. You can tell that this movie was created by a fan of the NBA. There are nods to the past, present as well as the future. Though you don't need to be a basketball fan to enjoy this movie.

The movie sticks with the usual themes of Happy Madison production movies. We have the loyalty and family aspects of this movie that we see in pretty much all of the Happy Madison movies. Stylistically it is far heavier than the rest of their past movies. It's a new direction that I hope they continue to do because they can really thrive in this department.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this movie and being a fan of the NBA I enjoyed it that much more. It's a good time for all and it's a great popcorn feel good movie for the whole family. I have to give this movie an 8 out of 10. The evolution of Happy Madison has started and I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeves for their next movie.