By: Shannon Tesser | KFAN.com
Trouble with the Curve is an enjoyable, sweet, touching story about an aging baseball scout, Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) and his estranged daughter Mickey (Amy Adams). The young up and comers in the Atlanta Braves scouting department are trying to push out Gus, who is not yet ready to retire. When his good friend and boss Pete (John Goodman) becomes aware of Gus steadily losing his eyesight he enlists the help of Mickey. Of course Mickey is resistant to helping the man who sent her away for long periods of time after the death of her mother, but eventually she gives in and tags along for Gus’ next road trip to scout the obnoxious slugger the Braves are interested in. On the road she meets Johnny Flannigan (Justin Timberlake), a former pitcher that Gus recruited, but after blowing out his arm he has become a scout for the Red Sox.
Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams have great chemistry as a father and daughter who continually struggle to understand each other, and come out of the road trip with a stronger than ever bond. Amy Adams’ chemistry with Justin Timberlake is good, but not quite as strong. There are moments between them that seemed drawn out and very predictable.
Overall, I enjoyed Trouble with the Curve, but I don’t think it is an instant classic, it won’t win any awards and it isn’t going to be a film I talk about for years to come. That being said, if you are a fan of any of the actors in the movie or have already seen Lawless and The Dark Knight Rises, then Trouble with the Curve is the right one for you.
And for the fans of Clint Eastwood at the Republican Convention, Trouble with the Curve does not feature Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair, but the audience does get to see him yelling at a coffee table.
Trouble with the Curve is worth the price of a matinee.
In theatres September 21st
Rated PG-13
