Premise - 14/20 - Love sports, not huge on basketball, so I was worried I wouldn't love it.
Cast/characters - 16/20 - Sandler's character was great, Hernangomez was very believable in the role, and most of the supporting characters did their jobs well. With so many NBA players in the cast, it was impressive that the egos were in check.
Plot - 17/20 - I didn't think I would love it, but I did. Believing in yourself and helping someone else believe in themselves was a good story, but the requirement that putting in the work is required to achieve your dreams was fantastic. The climax and the ending were well done.
Dialogue - 15/20 - The supportive conversation and the journey the two leads went on together was portrayed very well through dialogue.
World-building - 16/20 - I felt like I had a good look at the inner workings of the NBA combine and training programs here, which was a world only glossed over by most other basketball movies.

78/100 - 4/5 stars - A nice surprise from Sandler. He can play a wide variety of roles. If you're stuck because he spent too long doing Billy Madison-type movies, you're really missing out on what he can do.

**Hustle has a typical unknown up-and-comer plot for a sports movie, but it doesn't keep it from being an enjoyable movie.**

Hustle is basketball Rocky with Adam Sandler as the Mickey-type character and Juancho Hernangomez as the Rocky. As a Netflix straight-to-stream, Hustle rose above expectations. Hustle tugged on the heart from time to time, and Sandler gave a sincere heartfelt performance, helping boost the quality of the film. With most of the rest of the cast rounded out with professional basketball players, the game performances were excellent, but the character acting was restricted to not over-stretch their acting skills. This sometimes limited the story's depth, and some of the movie's plot felt generic. Still, Hustle is a solid sports movie that is enjoyable for basketball fans.

I'm quite enjoying the new basketball era of Adam Sandler's career. So far he's two for two, with both this film and _Uncut Gems_ being worthy additions to the library of basketball focused cinema. But that's not to say that the movies are similar. They could not be more different, which gives Sandler a chance to really show some range between the two. In that first outing, Sandler played a manic, desperate sports gambler, with the story tracking his depressing downward spiral. This film instead tells a more traditional feel-good sports story, with Sandler's character playing a talent scout who risks it all to champion an unknown international player. We get all of the classic sports movie clichés, with training montages galore and our star bouncing back and forth between being in the zone and having the yips whenever the plot demands (we also get the up and coming cliché of social media/viral videos being an important plot point).

Now, pointing out clichés often has a negative connotation, but that's not the case here. This is another film that really demonstrates that the oldest formulas can still lead to great films. The familiarity of high level plot points is a sin easily forgiven if the moment to moment writing, performances, and filmmaking are all excellent, as they are in this film. It also helps if a movie can find small ways to twist the formula and keep things at least a little bit fresh, which this movie also does. In particular, the film's focus on the draft/combine is a nice change of pace from most sports films. Instead of having the tension driven by the score line in a "big game", this film leverages the smaller stakes of simply performing well in training and practice. Another big plus is the generous presence of legit NBA talent. The use of real players, past and present, grounds the movie in reality and makes for a fun watch for the fans. And, while I'm no basketball expert, I think it's safe to say that that presence also improved the quality of the basketball footage in the film.

Heart-felt, Amusing, Gritty

The latest Adam Sandler movie is about everything that rises above its cliches. It has a witty space for humor, a sharp screenplay to keep you engaged, and a beautiful heart that stays a little longer with you than expected. Adam Sandler is rock solid as the training scout who aspires to be a coach and Juancho Hernangome as Bo Cruz is a charmer on screen. When a gritty story even though it's predictable, is presented with finesse you can't stop but keep praising it. The basketball scenes are well shot, and the pumping music tracks are beautifully integrated too. Overall, from Netflix, this dramedy is a sweet surprise.

We shouldn't be typecasting Adam Sandler as only a comedian after all, with a performance as good as in Uncut Gems. He delivers again and doesn't let you complain. It's the same old underdog story but the execution and narration set it apart which makes you like it. The tall, lanky Juancho is amazing as Bo and you like him from the first scene. The way he overcomes his fears and trains for his NBA selection is brilliantly captured. Great one from Netflix yet again.

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