Hustle (2022) Review:

Everyone loves a good underdog story. It’s been done many times over and it doesn’t always have to revolve around a singular character. Other times it circles around a team or entity, but mostly it is focused on a unique individual. A good example of this in the mainstream conscience is Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky (1976). Underestimated characters span across multiple actor credits and Adam Sandler is no stranger to such a concept either. Most people think of Sandler and his self-owned Happy Madison Productions always makes low brow humor movies. And yet, Sandler proves time and again he can make a compelling film with more than just that. He’s done in it in The Wedding Singer (1998), The Waterboy (1998), Hotel Transylvania (2012), and even Uncut Gems (2019). This movie however is about that but is not about him completely.

The narrative follows Stanley Sugarman (Adam Sandler) the spot guy for the 76ers basketball team. Wanting to move up and become a coach, he is tasked with finding one last promising talent. Unfortunately doing this job for several years has put strain on his wife Teresa (Queen Latifah) and daughter Alex (Jordan Hull). That is until he finds Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez) a diamond the rough coming from the ghettos of Spain. The issue is, Sugarman is under strict competition with his boss Vince Merrick (Ben Foster) with trying to get a new player. The screenplay was written by Taylor Materne in their first film credit, and Will Fetters of The Lucky One (2012) and A Star is Born (2018). Jeremiah Zagar as the director is also fairly new to the scene as well since majority of his credits are shorts or independent films.

The only thing that is a weak point to this feature is that the story is a familiar one to those have seen underdog films before. The main character is down on his luck and finds a path to redemption. And on that said path said character has to overcome various obstacles that may not be triumphed over the first time. There are set backs and moments of hopelessness, and then the final stretch where everything comes together. If a viewer is familiar enough to remember one, then this is not that different to another.  That doesn’t the mean the story is formulaic though. For one, the story revolves around Sandler’s role but the focus is put on Hernangómez’s character. It was like if in Rocky (1976), instead of focusing on Stallone’s role, it was aimed towards how Burgess Meredith’s character found Rocky.

The acting in every aspect is well done. Again for those who think Sandler only makes amateur comedy films, really should look at this or the others named earlier. Sandler still adds some bits of his usual humor to lighten up various scenes, but nothing gross or childish. The same could be said for Queen Latifah adding her own flair to the parts that she’s in. Even for Juancho Hernangómez who only has this film to his name was very believable. His relationship to his mother and daughter played a big part to his character and the emotion can be seen through the performance. This also adds good drama to the story because there were multiple risks involved that both Sugarman and Cruz take. That’s partly why the story feels deeper than that because there are pitfalls each character can get in to.

 As mentioned before though, there are moments where humor is injected to make sure the story isn’t always serious. There’s also a slew of basketball stars that appear throughout like Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley. The camerawork was also very unique here, shot by Zak Mulligan. The shots shown are not wide angle but are close ups to show the skill involved with playing the sport of basketball like dribbling and passing. Mulligan doesn’t even have a lot of films people would recognize to his name. Finally, the music composed by Dan Deacon is a decent effort although there’s no available music that can be found. The score does have its moments of heart considering what is being put on screen. Deacon also doesn’t have too many mainstream film credits, but one of his most recent projects was Venom: The Last Dance (2024).

This is one of those Sandler films where the comedian shows that he is not just a goofy actor but also can play serious roles. The acting, music, cinematography and drama all work effectively. The only thing sort of on the downside is that it’s an underdog sports movie which there are many of.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Munster, Go Home! (1966) Review:

Blooming franchises are always an exciting thing to see come to fruition. For the 1960s, there were two spooky family sitcoms that had viewer’s attention. One was The Addams Family and the other being The Munsters. Both were very successful despite the fact that each ran for only two seasons. Sometimes when a TV show does good enough, more interest is generated into expanding the property onto the big screen. Unlike The Addams Family which technically didn’t get one until 1991, but with a small TV movie in 1977, The Munsters got their first movie with this feature two years after the show ended. Quite interesting that this is how it played out considering both shows were evenly popular among American audiences. There’s definitely pitfalls this feature could have avoided but much of it is a good time for anyone who enjoys the show.

Joe Connelly, Bob Mosher and George Tibbles are the writers to this film who also had hands in several episodes to the show. The narrative is about Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) receiving a notice that he is to inherit a place called Munster Hall located in England, which he and the family head out to visit. However, what they don’t know is that something shady is going on at Munster Hall along with relatives Freddie (Terry-Thomas), Grace (Jeanne Arnold), Lady Effigie (Hermione Gingold) and their butler Cruikshank (John Carradine). With that, it’s up to Herman, Grandpa (Al Lewis) and Lily (Yvonne De Carlo) to figure out what’s going on. Meanwhile, Eddie (Butch Patrick) gets to see Marilyn (Debbie Watson) try to bring home another guy who won’t run out on her after meeting her family – this time being Roger Moresby (Robert Pine).

There’s actually some similarities between this movie and Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977). For one, writer George Tibbles would help write that script too. The second thing is the movie to its credit and fault is that it feels very much like an extended episode or TV movie…not so much a theatrical film. So much of it was kept the same that the translation from a TV series to the big screen doesn’t quite fit. The points that make this plainly obvious is the pacing and comedic timing. Directed by Earl Bellamy whose credits almost completely encompass directing TV series, kept that feeling. For those feeling like this will be a feature that cranks up the franchise to a new height will be disappointed. The film doesn’t really build much momentum. And part of that also is compounded by the comedy elements.

Now this is not to say it doesn’t work but there’s one key element missing from this – the audience laugh track. Now of course, as a feature film – comedies don’t include this. However, this was something that helped make the series work and without it, the jokes sound off without it. Again that’s not to say the punch lines don’t work but it’s not as impactful. This also doesn’t take away the acting of any sort from the slew of veterans attached to this project. Gwynne, De Carlo, Lewis, Patrick, and Watson all play their characters fine. It’s interesting to see even Chris Pine’s father play a role in a Munster film. The English cast members also perform well too from Thomas, Gingold, Carradine and even Bernard Fox playing Roger’s father.

One other similarity that this movie shares with the Addams Family film of 1977 was that it was finally shown in color. Filming these scenes in bright new color was Benjamin H. Kline, the same cinematographer for the TV series. Sufficive to say, Kline was perfect as he kept the look of the show intact for this feature. Credit goes to the production crew for all the interior shots of Munster Hall and all the sets created, as so much of it is impressive to look at. Lastly the film score was composed by the same man from the series, that being Jack Marshall. Again, it only makes sense that since Marshall scored the show that he would for this movie. Surprisingly, an album to this was released with an hour of material. While the main theme isn’t heard like usual, it is referenced and all other tracks have their own unique sound and flare that only Marshall could create.

A lot of the time, it is essential to keep original elements unchanged for a big screen adaptation. Unfortunately, the pacing to the original Munsters show is a little heavy footed for a ninety-minute feature. This also doesn’t work as well with the comedy as the laugh track is absent. However, the acting is still good, practical effects look great and the music is wonderful being that is also can be heard on its own.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Just Go With It (2011) Review:

Sometimes it can be hard for people to be easy going. Some people require lots of preparation to do a task such as time, physical readiness and mental justification. Others can just jump right in with no questions asked in order to do what someone needs. There’s usually no in between when it comes to this. Of course there are other factors like how devoted one is to the person making the request. If it’s some random person or if the ask seems highly unrealistic to accomplish, hesitation can set in for anyone. Faking one’s own story though is not that farfetched as it may seem. Many people have taken different identities and went completely under the radar. This is kind of what this Adam Sandler film is about except for sillier reasons.

Directed by Dennis Dugan, known for working with Adam Sandler in his other films. The story is a modernized remake of I.A.L. Diamond’s Cactus Flower (1969). The story follows Danny (Sandler), a successful plastic surgeon who was left at the alter at a young age when he was supposed to be married. In turn, he used his ring (the only memorabilia left) to get into the pants every chick he came across. That is until he happens to cross paths with Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) who he feels he has a connection with. However instead of using his ring to at the beginning, Palmer discovers it only after. This then has Danny make up a story that he’s divorcing his current wife so Palmer doesn’t leave him. With that he asks his assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to play that role.

The screenplay was adapted by Timothy Dowling and Allan Loeb, both of which surprisingly did not have a hand in any Adam Sandler films before it. Without prior viewing of the original film that this is a remake of and is likely better, as most are, the overall experience is a fair one. Going back to what was mentioned earlier, changing identities is very much a possibility but only some of it gets by super easy. Asking someone you work with to pose as someone else doesn’t seem that hard to do. However, when Katherine has to include her son Michael (Griffin Gluck) and daughter Maggie (Bailee Madison), that’s just pushing the believability. But that’s not even the end of it. On top of that, Danny’s cousin Eddie (Nick Swardson) shows up as well just because he wanted to see the girl of Danny’s dreams in real time.

This kind of stretching the truth is where it just gets ridiculous. How are people this gullible and believe such nonsense so easily? To the film’s credit, not all the comedy is average. The moments where it’s not good is Adam Sandler’s low brow kind of humor for various scenes but they aren’t over the top in this one either. The comedic elements that do work in this movie’s favor are the more wholesome related bits. Deep down, like the main character there is a wholesome core to the film and that’s the comedic element that is well received. Usually that kind of moment is when it comes to Danny working with Michael and Maggie. There’s also other actor appearances such as Nicole Kidman playing one Katherine’s high school rivals. There’s also Dave Matthews playing the husband to Kidman’s role and Kevin Nealon.

The acting in general is fine for the production. No actor sounds like they don’t know how to stay in character. The director of photography for this picture was Theo van de Sande. This is the same person who filmed for the forgettable Volcano (1997) but also the one and only Blade (1998). For what’s shown on the screen, the backgrounds look fine. Being that majority of this movie’s setting takes place in Hawaii, the shots are very scenic and capture lush shorelines. The music was a bit of disappointment though as it was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams. Williams who also frequently works with Sandler would think an album could be produced but no such thing. Yet he went on to bring Wonder Woman (2017) a tune everyone would remember.

Comedy as usual for a Sandler film is hit and miss as does the music remain largely generic. The story while a bit unrealistic at points is not completely ludicrous either. There are moments of heart, the camerawork is good and the actors all perform fine.

Points Earned --> 6:10