“Now get out of
here before I have a heart attack trying to kill you.” That is my favorite line
from the 80-something Clint Eastwood in this movie Trouble with the Curve. The
movie is a sports drama that’s kind of predictable, and it does drag to the
point where you can actually get up, go to the toilet, come back, and still not
have missed anything. This is Eastwood's first acting role since 2008's Gran
Torino and his first acting role in a movie where he is not the director since
1993's In the Line of Fire.
The great thing
about this movie is Clint Eastwood. His years of acting and directing made it
easy for him to flow with the other actors, making him the principal person to
look out for when you do decide to watch this flick.
The movie plot
is about an old, retiring baseball scout, Gus (Clint Eastwood), who is about to
finish up his contract in three months. Gus’s eyesight is failing, and his
old-time friend Pete (John Goodman) calls up his daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) to
keep an eye on her father.
Mickey, who is
very busy, has to break away from her demanding work to be with Gus, and
together they go scouting, where they meet Johnny (Justin Timberlake), a former
player that Gus had scouted.
I’m not much of
a fan of Timberlake’s acting. His performance in In Time (2011) is the best
I’ve seen him in to date. Here, he’s just a supporting actor running around
being a pest. The love story or romance portrayed in this movie is too shallow.
If this is how easy it is to fall in love, then I’ll tie myself to my wife everywhere
she goes. (Note: there was no adulterous act in the movie.)
The movie’s high
point will be the locations. It was filmed in various locations, giving it a
rich feel as if you are traveling with a scout. It also raises the question of
man vs. machine — which will triumph? In the other baseball-based sports drama Moneyball
(2011), which starred Brad Pitt, the machine seems to be the victor. Here, man
seems to be the victor, so I guess the fight continues.
Trouble with the Curve shows why scouts are always needed to help spot talent. They can see things that your computer can’t. While the computer runs on statistics and calibration, the eyes and ears rely on fact and observation. Trouble with the Curve is an okay drama, but you haven’t missed much if you haven’t seen it.
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