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I've recently seen this film, and I'd love to start a review thread. I saw it earlier, but now that I've seen it a second time, had some new thoughts, and thought it would be good to start this thread. Here is my new review:
I saw this again yesterday, and I've had a bit of a change of heart. Although this is by no means a perfect movie, this film represents exactly why I am such a fan of Clint Eastwood. It's a very simple story, that is very plainly told, but it is real, it is human, it is honest, and it is reflective of the lives we all lead. If you think this movie is about baseball, than you don't know very much about how Clint Eastwood makes his films. "Trouble with the Curve" is at its heart a relationship drama. It's about a daughter struggling to connect with a father who doesn't know how. It's about an aging parent who as the years advance must slowly come to admit that he is not as capable as he once was, and that he needs the help of those that care to lighten his load. It's about a woman who is stuck in a career she never wanted because she held herself back from doing what she truly knew in her heart she was born to do. It's also pretty much a fictional version of my own life story. My passion is politics and public policy, not baseball, and unlike Gus, my parents have always been there for me, but I strongly identified with the strained relationship Mickey has with her father, and her struggle to learn to accept her Dad for what he can give instead of constantly holding out hope to receive something that isn't coming.
Amy Adams in this film proves once gain why she is the greatest actor of her generation by far. This film works a lot better than it should, because of the strength of the performances. The film is not without its problems. It's safe when it should be bold and light when it should be dark, but Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood are compulsively watchable. It's very competently directed, but like Eastwood, Lorenz isn't able to rise above the cliches that are inherent in the script. And like when Eastwood directs, Lorenz's supporting characters are caricatures who distract from the other things that are good on the screen. Matthew Lillard and Joe Massingill (the baseball prospect) are never given any space to develop and lack the humanity and realism that Gus and Mickey embody. John Goodman is quite good here, and Justin Timberlake is fine in his role, but the writing doesn't give him much to do. Above it all though, this is a film that is trying to represent our society well and strives to say something that needs to be heard. For that, those who made this film deserve recognition, because the message they are trying to convey is important. It's not "Gran Torino" or "Million Dollar Baby," but for the kind of film that it is, "Trouble with the Curve" is actually pretty well done. If you're looking for a film to entertain and to inspire, that makes you laugh, and makes you cry, and makes you appreciate life and cherish the ones who are most important to you in it, go out this weekend and watch this film. At 82 years old, nobody does this better than Clint Eastwood. "Trouble With the Curve" is solid entertainment.
So, who else has seen this? What does everyone else think?
I saw this again yesterday, and I've had a bit of a change of heart. Although this is by no means a perfect movie, this film represents exactly why I am such a fan of Clint Eastwood. It's a very simple story, that is very plainly told, but it is real, it is human, it is honest, and it is reflective of the lives we all lead. If you think this movie is about baseball, than you don't know very much about how Clint Eastwood makes his films. "Trouble with the Curve" is at its heart a relationship drama. It's about a daughter struggling to connect with a father who doesn't know how. It's about an aging parent who as the years advance must slowly come to admit that he is not as capable as he once was, and that he needs the help of those that care to lighten his load. It's about a woman who is stuck in a career she never wanted because she held herself back from doing what she truly knew in her heart she was born to do. It's also pretty much a fictional version of my own life story. My passion is politics and public policy, not baseball, and unlike Gus, my parents have always been there for me, but I strongly identified with the strained relationship Mickey has with her father, and her struggle to learn to accept her Dad for what he can give instead of constantly holding out hope to receive something that isn't coming.
Amy Adams in this film proves once gain why she is the greatest actor of her generation by far. This film works a lot better than it should, because of the strength of the performances. The film is not without its problems. It's safe when it should be bold and light when it should be dark, but Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood are compulsively watchable. It's very competently directed, but like Eastwood, Lorenz isn't able to rise above the cliches that are inherent in the script. And like when Eastwood directs, Lorenz's supporting characters are caricatures who distract from the other things that are good on the screen. Matthew Lillard and Joe Massingill (the baseball prospect) are never given any space to develop and lack the humanity and realism that Gus and Mickey embody. John Goodman is quite good here, and Justin Timberlake is fine in his role, but the writing doesn't give him much to do. Above it all though, this is a film that is trying to represent our society well and strives to say something that needs to be heard. For that, those who made this film deserve recognition, because the message they are trying to convey is important. It's not "Gran Torino" or "Million Dollar Baby," but for the kind of film that it is, "Trouble with the Curve" is actually pretty well done. If you're looking for a film to entertain and to inspire, that makes you laugh, and makes you cry, and makes you appreciate life and cherish the ones who are most important to you in it, go out this weekend and watch this film. At 82 years old, nobody does this better than Clint Eastwood. "Trouble With the Curve" is solid entertainment.
So, who else has seen this? What does everyone else think?