REVIEW: Hustle [2022]

January 11, 2023

2–3 minutes

Rating: R | Runtime: 117 minutes
Release Date: June 3rd, 2022 (USA)
Studio: Netflix
Director(s): Jeremiah Zagar
Writer(s): Taylor Materne and Will Fetters

Guys in their fifties don’t have dreams. They have nightmares … and eczema.

A SAG nomination for Best Actor isn’t something you ignore. Not when there’s only five slots. Does it translate to an Oscar nomination despite Adam Sandler not being able to earn one with Uncut Gems, arguably his best performance?

Normally, I’d say no. But the category is so weak this year that a guild boost like this could be enough to push him over the line. That Jeremiah Zagar’s (watch We the Animals if you haven’t yet) Hustle is also a legitimately good film only helps matters too. Keep a smile on those Academy voters’ faces to remember the “Sandman’s” name come ballot time.

Taylor Materne and Will Fetters have pretty much transcribed the Rocky playbook into basketball, but they set it in Philadelphia, include a meta joke (and montage), and lean into the rags-to-riches storyline for feel-good emotion. They also split focus so that it isn’t just one plotline to victory, but two.

Because Sandler’s Stanley Sugarman (an ex-college star turned long-time scout who’s years past his chance at coaching) has as much to gain (and lose) as the unknown Spaniard (Juancho Hernangómez’s Bo Cruz) he’s staked everything on. This twenty-two-year-old “kid” is his ticket to the bench as long as he can convince the league to open their eyes.

It’s obviously not a slam dunk considering his boss, new Philadelphia 76ers owner Vince Merrick (Ben Foster), has never liked him, but Stanley hopes his former teammate and power agent Leon (Kenny Smith) can at least ensure another team jumps at the opportunity if personal grudges get in the way.

In order for that to happen, however, some white lies must be told. And they can be disastrous for a relationship built on trust that has Bo going all-in on the promises Stanley makes. Adversity arises in the form of trash talk (Bo is sensitive and Anthony Edwards’ phenom Kermit Wilts knows how to push his buttons) and failure, so it’s all about whether both men can buckle down and see their dreams through.

Foster plays an effective “villain” as always. Queen Latifah and Jordan Hull provide wonderful emotional support for Stanley as his wife and daughter respectively while María Botto shines as Bo’s mother. And while this is Sandler’s show (he’s more than up to the task and deserving of the accolades), I don’t think it works without Hernangómez.

Because it’s not just about his basketball skills. So much of this role lies in the off-the-court attitude—humor and humility—that makes the rapport between player and coach so authentic. These men are having fun on-screen. We’re watching a friendship form more than anything else. Realizing I would be satisfied with a potential ending that ultimately sees them fail but remain close is the highest compliment I can give since winning isn’t everything. (But Hollywood will Hollywood anyway.)