First time director Robert Lorenz’s new baseball drama, Trouble With the Curve, debuts with an already impressive pedigree, despite the unproven filmmaker at its helm. For the last few years it had been understood that Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood had retired from acting, and was going to let Gran Torino exist as his swan song. That didn’t quite happen. A hole opened up in the guy’s schedule, some deals were made, and now this tale of an aging baseball scout (Eastwood) taking a work trip with his workaholic, attorney daughter (Amy Adams) can suddenly be considered the man’s comeback film. Or perhaps it might even end up going down in the books as his last onscreen performance.
Honestly, that would be something of a shame though, because Trouble With the Curve is one of the most cookie cutter dramas that’s attracted a cast this appealing in quite a while. Here you have a gruff and distant old man who doesn’t know how to connect with those around him going on a sudden trip with his largely estranged daughter. A workaholic woman, who lives a joyless life and is unhealthily dedicated to climbing the corporate ladder, suddenly finding herself on the road, taking in baseball games, and getting thrust into social situations with her father’s handsome young colleagues (namely, Justin Timberlake). Do you see where this is all going? Probably you at least have an idea, and let me tell you, you’re even more correct than you imagine. Beat for beat, everything that happens in this movie plays out in the most obvious, telegraphed way that it possibly could. It’s hard to imagine a sports drama with estranged family member and work-obsessed professional subplots possibly being more generic.
The film does have a saving grace though, and that’s its performances. At this point Eastwood has more than perfected the mean old man routine, and this role sees him getting easy pitches and knocking them out of the park with a casual, routine precision. Perennial solid hands like Timberlake and John Goodman float around the peripherals of the supporting cast as well, making sure the main players always have someone interesting to interact with. The true M.V.P. of the film is Adams though. Here’s an actress who keeps putting out great performance after great performance, no matter what she’s doing, yet somehow this film may be the best indication we’ve gotten of what she’s really capable of. It’s hard to imagine a more boring-on-paper character than the career gal with daddy issues Adams plays here, but somehow she manages to make her likable, authentic, and even emotionally affecting every second that she’s on screen. If there’s any reason to see Trouble With the Curve, it’s to get an indication of just how thoroughly a film can elevate its material by adding Adams to its cast. This gal is a true acting gem, she saves this movie from doom, and her hair even looks great while she’s doing it.
