- Hustle is an excellent example of the phrase “cliches are cliches because they work”.
- The picture resembles “Rocky” if seen through the eyes of coach Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) Hustle has enough distractions to push our emotions high.
- Hustle is a celebration of basketball with some spectacular, well-directed scenes by Jeremiah Zagar.
Hustle is an excellent example of the phrase “cliches are cliches because they work.” You will feel pain and joy at the appropriate times. You’ll want the heroes to succeed in the face of hardship, naysayers, and personal demons. It’s the story of two men who are trying to achieve their goals, with the added twist that one of them is in his fifties and doesn’t believe it’s possible.
The picture, directed by Jeremiah Zagar, now resembles “Rocky” if seen through the eyes of coach Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith). He works on sanding down Bo’s rough edges, performing stair runs in the wilds of South Philly, and teaching Bo how to cope with trash talk, putting his family’s lives on the line (thankfully, his wife and adolescent daughter trust him).
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By the final basketball game, when Bo must wow NBA executives enough to get a contract, we all know where Hustle will take us. It doesn’t make arriving in a familiar spot any less satisfying, though. Despite the fact that we end ourselves desiring more detail from these individuals and their travails, Hustle has enough distractions to push our emotions high, thanks to the warmth shared by Sandler and Hernangomez and the top-level craft. Sandler portrays a down-on-his-luck, despondent individual looking for a challenge and change in an open-hearted, humanistic manner while staying within well-defined likability criteria. He’s a confident actor who’s equally at ease with comedy as he is with the role’s more serious demands.
Sandler’s co-star is Hernangómez, a newcomer who exudes compassion and delicacy. You may expect to see one of two versions of the Sandman in a film starring him: the great thespian from Uncut Gems or the annoying fool from Jack & Jill.
Fortunately, Sandler gives a good dramatic performance that, while not his best, keeps the audience interested since he has a few comedic moments in between the serious ones. It’s unclear why Stanley is so keen to make Bo a celebrity at first, but as we learn more about Stanley’s turbulent past, it all makes sense, and Sandler’s strengths shine through. Hustle succeeds because of Stanley’s goal.
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He is preoccupied with making Bo the best player he can be throughout the movie. Stanley is aware of Bo’s weaknesses and knows how to fix them. He understands what to say to him, and it’s fun to watch them connect as a mentor and a learner. Stanley tries to distract Bo’s mind off the game by criticizing him in order for Bo to learn not to be affected by other players, which is a comical episode. It’s thrilling to watch Bo develop as a player throughout the film.
To summarise, this film is a celebration of the sport, with some spectacular, well-directed basketball scenes by Jeremiah Zagar, and it gives Sandler another chance to demonstrate his dramatic acting abilities. It’s exciting, thrilling, and devastating, and although following the usual sports movie formula, the narrative is still worth viewing.
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