Hustle (2022) * * 1/2

 

Directed by:  Jeremiah Zagar

Starring:  Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Juancho Hernangomez, Kenny Smith, Maria Botto, Anthony Edwards, Jaleel White, Robert Duvall, Ben Foster, Heidi Gardner 

Hustle is, I'm sure, accurate in its portrayal of the NBA rookie combine and the training it takes to even earn a slot in it.   For Bo Cruz (played by real Utah Jazz player Hernangomez), an untapped raw talent who terrorizes the pickup games in his native Spain, it takes not only talent but an ability to cope with pressure which comes at you from all angles.   But, it is a dry story with a limited emotional arc.   We see enough training montages to make Rocky Balboa envious, but in the end we're left with a a competently made movie with good performances which plays more like an advertisement for the NBA than an actual flesh-and-blood story.

Hustle assembles quite a cast at the service of a lukewarm tale.  Stanley Sugerman (Sandler) is a longtime scout with the Philadelphia 76ers who is soon promoted by the team's owner Rex Merrick (Duvall) to an assistant coach position.   It is the break Stanley has dreamed of, but no sooner is Stanley celebrating with his wife Teresa (Latifah) that he learns of Rex's death which scuttles his promotion.    Merrick's son Vince (Foster), with whom Stanley has butted hands over the years, returns Stanley to his scouting position and sends him on a trip to Spain.   

It is here Stanley discovers Bo, a construction worker and father of a little girl, blocking shots in pickup games like nobody's business and draining three pointers.   Stanley believes Bo could be the next Dirk Nowitski (who appears in a funny cameo on FaceTime), and sets him up with a tryout with the Sixers.  Bo has the raw talent and the tools, but word leaks out about a previous aggravated assault charge and, following a disastrous tryout, Bo's future in the NBA is in doubt.   Stanley's longtime friend and former college teammate Leon (Smith) pulls strings to get Bo a spot in the combine.   The aforementioned, overlong training montages follow and Bo is soon attending the combine after video of him dominating on the playground goes viral. 

Hustle is not My Giant (1998), thank goodness, with Sandler in the Billy Crystal role mentoring a giant athlete.   It is not even a comedy, although there are amusing moments.   Sandler can easily handle the dramatic scenes and makes for a convincing basketball lifer.   His love of the game is evident, as if he's living a dream standing on the Wells Fargo Center court.   Hernangomez maintains a quiet, sometimes too quiet, screen presence, but he carries himself with authenticity.   I also liked Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards as an opponent of Bo's who knows how to get under his skin.  Queen Latifah's role is rather limited to supporting her husband, but she does what she can with it.  The trouble is:  The characters take a back seat to a larger NBA-centric milieu which engulfs the project.