HUSTLE

Adam Sandler gives another wonderful performance as Philadelphia 76ers scout Stanley Sugerman. Burnt out from scouting talent around the world and wanting to spend more time with his family, Stanley is promised his dream job of becoming an assistant coach in the NBA by 76ers owner Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall). However, Rex soon passes after making his promise and his son Vince (Ben Foster) takes over the day-to-day operations of the team and promises Stanley his coaching position if he can scout and sign the missing piece they need in order to win a NBA championship. Stanley finds his unicorn in Spain by the name of Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez). However, having a criminal pass and being easy to manipulate mentally, Cruz struggles in various showcases, until Stanley can convince his best friend and NBA player agent Leon (Kenny Smith) to allow Bo to play in a pickup game in the Bronx with various scouts in attendance. A modern-day Rocky story that fails to deliver the same emotional punch with its underdog story of poverty and going up against the odds. Sandler once again spins a masterful performance as Stanley, a former college star who's career was suddenly halted due to an injury he sustained. Still driven by a passion for the game, he sacrifices everything from time away from his family to financial resources in order to reach his goal of coaching in the NBA. Plenty of NBA stars both past and present are here to validate the story (which LeBron James was a producer on). Overall, a decent way to spend 2 hours and Sandler's best performance since UNCUT GEMS but overall, this will be forgotten within a few weeks of its release. 6/10