Trouble With the Curve

6 out of 10 stars

Cast
Gus............................... Clint Eastwood
Mickey............................... Amy Adams
 Pete.................................John Goodman
Johnny.........................Justin Timberlake


***** WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS *****

This is when I usually tell about some strange/interesting thing that happened to me at work this week. Nothing exciting really happened I guess, except maybe that one of my coworkers told me how when he first saw my boss, he thought he was a homeless man. I can't say I disagree. 

Anyway, this movie. Not the best. For me, it was a one-time-see movie. I liked it the first time, it was alright. But I definitely wouldn't see it again. It was a little... dry. Dull. Nothing really happened. Maybe it's because I'm a knock-down-drag-out-fight-to-the-death-someone-must-die-or-at-least-be-part-of-a-severely-dysfunctional-family-to-be-a-good-movie kind of person, but I mean really, the best part was probably when Gus (Eastwood) and Mickey (Adams) got in a car accident.  And they didn't play it up very well. The whole scene lasted about two minutes. 

Oh Clint Eastwood. Clint, Clint, Clint. When I first told one of my friends that this was the movie that was playing at my theater, she asked who was in it. I replied: "Oh, you know, Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood." thinking that she would at least recognize those two names. At hearing my response, she promptly cried: "Clint Eastwood? Isn't he like 100?!" 

He's 82.

Close enough.

However, in this movie, you can definitely tell that age is starting to affect him. He doesn't move very well anymore (and yes, I do understand that that was kind of the point of his character but still, he plays it very well). Also, he has absolutely no voice inflection. Everything is monotonous.  Even when he's talking about his wife's death.

Like please, Clint, I need you to control yourself.

Also, he's got the classic Clint Squint. His eyes are forever half-closed in a look where I can't tell if he's glaring at someone or just can't see. Or both. 

Overall, I think Clint's time is coming to a close in the movie business. I understand that he has acted in 68 productions, produced 37, and directed 35, but really like I think it's getting to be that time.

Just let it go, buddy.

Okay, I actually kind of liked Mickey. And that's saying a lot coming from me. I mean I usually hate all female lead roles in movies. Maybe it's because I can kind of relate to her. I mean even though she acts like this sophisticated, uptown lawyer, she's actually a rough-and-tough tomboy who loves baseball. Growing up with an older brother and my dad, I was a tomboy for the longest time. And in some ways, I still am (I mean they are basically the reason that I hate chick flicks and love football). I love how she could show up all the boys in Gus's department. 

However, there was one thing that bothered me. At the end of the movie when she and Gus are walking out of the stadium and she checks her phone and says that she might become a partner with her firm. And then... she just throws her phone away. In the dumpster! ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY THROW THEIR RATHER EXPENSIVE PHONE IN THE DUMPSTER. But obviously to her dumpster > logic.

(I would like to take a moment here to apologize if this seems a bit choppy. I'm trying to watch Gladiator and it's getting to the good part. So I'm sitting here like "YAH. YAH MAXIMUS GET IT. GET IT MAX, YAH. YAH YOU KILL COMMODUS. KILL HIM. YAH THERE YOU GO. NO. NO STUPID YOU CAN'T DIE NOW. NO. NO STOP IT. STOP. DYING." I've seen this movie twelve times. 

You think I'm kidding.

I'm not.)

So back to the review.

John Goodman. This man. Is amazing. I never really realized how many movies he was in. Especially kid movies (think Sulley from Monster's Inc. and Pacha from Emperor's New Groove.) I really like him. A lot. He reminds me of a teddy bear. I like his character in this movie. He's the good guy who tries to please everyone. He's Gus's best friend of 30 years and a second-father figure to Mickey. He's just a likable guy.

(In case you were interested, Gladiator is over so I am Legend came on.

Talk about terrible graphics.

Ew.

So I changed it to The Social Network.

With Andrew Garfield.

Andrew Garfield = life.)

Justin Timberlake. Sigh. Admittedly, he was alright in this movie. He was most certainly the comic relief. I did chuckle a little a couple times when he was on-screen. Like the whole "bar fight" scene. And how he asked Mickey out on a date. I just don't know why but for whatever reason, every time I see that Justin Timberlake is going to be in a movie, I cringe a little. He just always plays very.... static characters.

So overall, it was a decent movie. Interesting enough concept. However, there wasn't really a climax. Also, they didn't do much with the pitcher that the bring in at the end, Rigo. I mean yah, they had him as "Peanut Boy" in the beginning, but then he just kind of disappeared from the movie until the end. I feel like they needed to build up his character a bit more. It was alright the first time. After that it was just kind of dull. Solid 6.

Asdfghjkl. Andrew Garfield.

P.S.- I'm taking the ACT tomorrow. God save my soul. 

Sources

Cast-IMDb

Images-Google