Featured Audience Ratings

• Chris W

  
  This is once again a film where an aging Clint Eastwood plays an old coot who can't let go of the past ,and fights like hell to keep aging from getting the best of him, This time around he's Gus- a veteran talent scout for the Atlanta Braves whose eyesight is failing him.… More
  This is once again a film where an aging Clint Eastwood plays an old coot who can't let go of the past ,and fights like hell to keep aging from getting the best of him, This time around he's Gus- a veteran talent scout for the Atlanta Braves whose eyesight is failing him. An upcoming job could be a career ender for him due to his health, but not to worry, his estranged daughter Mickey comes in to reconnect, and help him out, even if it means risking her own job as a lawyer on track to be a partner. And for good measure, we get a budding romance between Mickey and a former pick of Gus's turned rival scout named Johnny. The film is largely predictable, not challenging, and not always subtle, however, when compared to Gran Torino, it's not as heavy handed, but unfortunately not as memorable either. It's still entertaining, heartwarming, and charming, so, even though it's nothing new, it does fulfill a necessary place in this world. What ultimately saves it is the cast. In the lead is Eastwood as Gus, and on deck and in the hole (to keep up the baseball metaphors) are Amy Adams as Mickey and Justin Timberlake as Johnny. There's backed by a supporting team of solid talent that includes John Goodman, Robert Patrick, Matthew Lillard ,and George Wyner. The performances are all pretty solid, and the cast have a lot of natural chemistry with one another. It doesn't hurt that we get a scene with Adams doing a cannonball off a dock into a pond while wearing nothing but her panties and a t-shirt. All in all, the film is well meaning, if nothing all that special. It's probably something I'll forget within a few days, but it's good old fashioned entertainment in the classic sense while its lasts, so give it a go. For the rating I'm torn between 3 and 3.5, so let's call it a B-.

• Cynthia S

  
  Oh, Clint Eastwood. You are brilliant...Another well done film by a very talented man.

• Manu G

  
  Whatever Life Throws at You. A Great Film for sports fans and non sports fans alike! Great drama and acting by Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams. They really make a believable father and daughter. Justin Timberlake was also good as a washed up pitcher turned baseball scout. The… More
  Whatever Life Throws at You. A Great Film for sports fans and non sports fans alike! Great drama and acting by Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams. They really make a believable father and daughter. Justin Timberlake was also good as a washed up pitcher turned baseball scout. The performances in this film didn't blow my mind, but the story does have a lot of heart. It's hard not to fall for the characters in this story and despite the fact that the film is very predictable and formulaic it was still a very satisfying experience for me. Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood shared some touching scenes together. Eastwood seems to always explore this father-daughter distant relationship in most of his movies. You don't need to be a baseball fan to enjoy this movie because it deals more with these relationships than with the game itself. Justin Timberlake and Amy Adams share some scenes together as well adding a little romance to the story. Trouble with the Curve has a little bit of everything: sports, romance, and drama so it is one of those rare films that the entire family will enjoy. Gus is a baseball scout. The team he works for thinks he should retire. He asks them to let him do one more scouting job to prove himself. His friend, Pete, asks Gus's estranged daughter, Mickey, if she could go with him to make sure he's OK as his eyes are failing. The doctor tells Gus he should get his eyes treated but he insists on doing his scouting assignment, which takes him to North Carolina. Mickey decides to put her work on hold to go with him and she wants him to explain why he pushed her away. Whilst there he runs into Johnny, a scout from another team who was a promising player Gus once scouted. Johnny and Mickey take an interest in each other.

• Everett J

  
  Clint Eastwood is an actor who seems to have made some of his best movies later on in life. "Gran Torino" and "Million Dollar Baby" are both fantastic films, and before watching this I expected this to be around the same quality as those 2 movies. While it's… More
  Clint Eastwood is an actor who seems to have made some of his best movies later on in life. "Gran Torino" and "Million Dollar Baby" are both fantastic films, and before watching this I expected this to be around the same quality as those 2 movies. While it's a decent movie, it's nowhere near as good as I had hoped. Eastwood plays a baseball scout who is losing his eye sight and in trouble of losing his job while scouting one of the best prospects in baseball. He has a damaged relationship with his daughter Mickey(Amy Adams) and they barely get along. Mickey is an aspiring partner at a law firm, when she gets the news of her Dad's impending blindness, she joins him on a scouting trip. From there the movie is pretty generic, borderline sappy in spots, and uneven. It's party drama, comedy, sports movie, which is fine, but none of it works as well as it should. I think there is a great movie here with the material, but instead it's just a "meh, that was ok" movie. The acting is all good, even though I never really bought Amy Adams as a baseball obsessive tomboy. Movie is 2 hours long, but feels like 3, and you'll be ready for it to end after an hour. My wife liked it, but I was just very underwhelmed. Give it a shot, but don't expect another Eastwood classic.

• Sanjay R

  
  This is an okay film. The directing, screenplay and acting is all par. Some of the characters are way over the top and the overacting by them is cringe worthy. That being said, this film has some funny and emotional moments. If you don't mind the all too familiar story of… More
  This is an okay film. The directing, screenplay and acting is all par. Some of the characters are way over the top and the overacting by them is cringe worthy. That being said, this film has some funny and emotional moments. If you don't mind the all too familiar story of "humble underdog takes down arrogant snob" in the most exaggerated way possible, then this movie is for you.

• danny d

  
  cliche ridden, this feels like a romantic comedy/sports film of the late 80's, something you've seen 100 times. the upside is that its a very entertaining version of the same old thing, so it stands on both feet just fine and provides a very good time at the movies,… More
  cliche ridden, this feels like a romantic comedy/sports film of the late 80's, something you've seen 100 times. the upside is that its a very entertaining version of the same old thing, so it stands on both feet just fine and provides a very good time at the movies, especially for a date night. this film was all it needed to be to entertain. very solid.

• Al S

  
  A real-deal crowd pleaser. A masterpiece from Director, Robert Lorenz. A real home-run of a classic. A must-see that i absolutely loved. It`s one of the ebst movies of the year and one of my favorite films of the year. It`s absolutely wonderful to watch and brings alot of power, humor… More
  A real-deal crowd pleaser. A masterpiece from Director, Robert Lorenz. A real home-run of a classic. A must-see that i absolutely loved. It`s one of the ebst movies of the year and one of my favorite films of the year. It`s absolutely wonderful to watch and brings alot of power, humor and heart to the table as well as some pretty fantastic acting from its outstanding cast. This is pure movie-going magic that just grabs you and dosent want to let go. A superbly entertaining and glorious movie. Clint Eastwood is truly as his best, this is one of his greatest performances. Eastwood is perfect in every way, he never ceases to amaze and can still entertain. Amy Adams is breathtaking, giving another award-worthy performance. Justin Timberlake is terrific. Eastwood and Adams have brilliant chemistry together, making you love them more. Timberlake stands equally well with both of them. A wickedly funny, compelling, gripping and tremendosuly heartfelt movie. It`s solidly enjoyable and very character driven. A powerful and magnificent movie. It`s just great fun from start to finish.

• Bathsheba M

  
  Amy Adams is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses and this movie sealed the deal. But first, the story. It was ALMOST predictable, but it pulled back from the edge in time. I liked the way Mickey's (Amy's) character story mirrored the main theme which is: just… More
  Amy Adams is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses and this movie sealed the deal. But first, the story. It was ALMOST predictable, but it pulled back from the edge in time. I liked the way Mickey's (Amy's) character story mirrored the main theme which is: just because something looks good on paper doesn't mean it flies in real life. This movie also boasts the most despicable male characters I remember in any movie since Treasure of the Sierra Madre: all of the lawyers in Amy's law firm; Bo the prize hitter who bore a knee-slapping resemblance to a pig; and that scouting guy in the home office with no chin. One nit-pick: didn't you just know that Peanut Guy was going to best the pig? Very entertaining. Clint Eastwood is an American classic--his taking a leak in the first scene was hysterically funny--and no one does the old man growl better than him. Good, entertaining movie with a real story.

• Tyler R

  
  Is there such thing as a baseball movie that's not good? Well, now there is. Trouble with the Curve is about one of the best baseball scouts in the world having to deal with the fact that he might have to retire due to age and in the mix he's dealing with stuff like his… More
  Is there such thing as a baseball movie that's not good? Well, now there is. Trouble with the Curve is about one of the best baseball scouts in the world having to deal with the fact that he might have to retire due to age and in the mix he's dealing with stuff like his relationship with his daughter for example. It stars Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake and John Goodman, a very likable cast. That being said, the actors in the movie all pull off good performances. Clint Eastwood is always great and even though there are scenes where most of his dialogue is just him growling, he's still really good as is the rest of the cast. Amy Adams was one of the better parts of the movie. She really has started to shine as an actress and this movie shows why she's so likable. I also liked that the characters in the movies all went well together. There was really good chemistry between the actors and they managed to bring some funny moments to the film. However, despite the characters being likable and well cast, the movie itself just doesn't feel right. I can sum up the entire film in three words: Predictable, repetetive and cliche. There are moments in the film where a certain situation is being set up, but the resolution and everything else isn't exactly a surprise. The relationship between Eastwood and Adams is what plays out as repetetive. They're estranged in the movie and they're trying to put their relationship back together, but there are moments where they look like they're going to make things right, but then something happens and they start bitching at eachother again. That happens a lot on the movie and by the time it's resolved, I didn't care as much as I wanted to. As for the scenes with baseball, they aren't that entertaining. That's a bummer both to me and hardcore baseball fans because I was expecting some cool scenes with guys playing baseball, but the way the scenes are filmed make the kids from Sandlot look like professionals when compared to the players in the movie. I was really expecting to like this movie a lot more, but it fell flat to me. It had some really good acting, some funny moments and likable characters, but the movie is just really predictable and uninspired in a lot of scenes. That's really the biggest problem the movie has and it doesn't seem to have any heart compared to other baseball movies like The Sandlot and Field of Dreams. Hell, I would've been entertained if the movie was just Eastwood talking to a bunch of empty seats in a stadium.

• KJ P

  
  It may have all the heart needed to make a great drama, but when you have uninteresting side characters and very cheesy & predictable dialogue, it just seems like another drama, even if Clint Eastwood's performance is Oscar worthy. I highly enjoyed watching this story,… More
  It may have all the heart needed to make a great drama, but when you have uninteresting side characters and very cheesy & predictable dialogue, it just seems like another drama, even if Clint Eastwood's performance is Oscar worthy. I highly enjoyed watching this story, because it is put together well, but most of it is one-dimensional and very dull. "Trouble with the Curve" is the type of film to kick back and view with a parent or even a grand-parent, who grew up with Clint Eastwood films, because this is definitely a great performance by him. Also, I loved seeing him working with this generation of up-and-coming actors. Amy Adams shares great chemistry with Justin Timberlake, even if his character seems thrown in for it's fan base. This is a very watchable movie indeed, but that's about it in the end.

• Aaron N

  
  Gus: Get out of here, before I have a heart attack trying to kill you. So Clint Eastwood has returned to the big screen for a movie that does not require a whole lot of effort from him. Trouble with the Curve is a fairly slight film about a number of old American chestnuts, such… More
  Gus: Get out of here, before I have a heart attack trying to kill you. So Clint Eastwood has returned to the big screen for a movie that does not require a whole lot of effort from him. Trouble with the Curve is a fairly slight film about a number of old American chestnuts, such as baseball, getting older, trusting your instincts, and the father-daughter relationship. It is not necessarily bad, it is just nothing that is all that special, as everything about the film is predictable, lacking in subtlety, and tied up in a nice little package at the end. The reason to show up is for Clint of course, but how much you appreciate him depends on how much you want to put up with his grumpy old man shtick. The likability of Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake add a bit to the film, but overall, it is a fairly slow walk through the ballpark. read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com

• Bradley W

  
  Trouble with the Curve has a heart and some great acting, but sadly the story just wasn't interesting and it proved to follow many family drama sterotypes. Clint Eastwood is as great as ever, and he shows that even at his age you can still be one of the most talented people in… More
  Trouble with the Curve has a heart and some great acting, but sadly the story just wasn't interesting and it proved to follow many family drama sterotypes. Clint Eastwood is as great as ever, and he shows that even at his age you can still be one of the most talented people in Hollywood. Amy Adams gives a phenomenal performance and really just steals the show in this movie. Justing Timberlake was a fun character and I always love seeing him on the big screen. This movie has its heartfelt moments and shows that its a fun movie about a father and daughter bonding, but its main storyline just didn't have me interested as I knew the outcome of the movie just from watching the trailer. I wish that they had given a few surprises and shown us a classic sports film that would be remembered, but unfortunately this film will just be seen as a stepping stone in these actors careers. I felt like I was watching Bull Durham during this movie, and that was a great feeling to have. This may be a cliche film that has been done before, but it still is a sweet movie to watch and I couldn't dislike what it had it offer.

• The Movie W

  
  Eastwood plays a scout for the Atlanta Braves with three months left to run on his contract. The top brass are unsure if he still has what it takes and a ruthless young backstabber (Lillard) is looking to take his place. To make things worse, Eastwood's eyesight is failing but… More
  Eastwood plays a scout for the Atlanta Braves with three months left to run on his contract. The top brass are unsure if he still has what it takes and a ruthless young backstabber (Lillard) is looking to take his place. To make things worse, Eastwood's eyesight is failing but he's too stubborn to admit it. When his daughter (Adams), a hotshot lawyer who we're informed hasn't taken a Saturday off in seven years, learns of his condition she accompanies him on a mission to scout a promising young high-school player. Needless to say, her presence makes him uncomfortable. Timberlake, a former player turned scout, tries his best to romance Adams but she seems too set on advancing her career to have time for such frivolities. There's something about the sport of baseball that lends itself well to cinematic treatments, at least that's what I thought before watching this directorial debut from Lorenz, Eastwood's long-time assistant director. There are more sports movie cliches on show than a Wayans brothers' parody. Will Adams fall for Timberlake's sporty charms or will she return to her life as an over-worked and under-appreciated legal eagle? Will Eastwood prove he can still spot raw talent despite possessing the eyesight of a stormtrooper? Will that Mexican kid pitching balls in the motel car park turn out be the next wonder-kid of baseball? Will we see a flashback which explains why Eastwood was such a bad father? Will that flashback feature footage from a Dirty Harry movie? If you're unsure of any of the answers (okay, the last one is out of left field admittedly), then you've clearly never seen a sports movie before. Cliches aren't always a negative if they're used well but this movie is devoid of charm, despite the casting of three very charismatic leads. If Eastwood lost much of his dignity in that famous speech at the Republican convention, the remainder is truly gone now. Casting an icon of American cinema in such a trite piece of garbage is like forcing a Rottweiler to wear a party hat. In the opening scene he informs us his private parts no longer function. C'mon Clint, nobody wants to live in a world where Dirty Harry can't get wood. You wouldn't have caught John Wayne giving us such a revelation.

• Ryan R

  
  Cliched and predictable? Yeah, but since when was there a rule that every movie had to be original and inventive to make for an enjoyable time at the movies? Trouble with the Curve is carried by a great cast that manages to keep its melodrama at bay, making for a touching little… More
  Cliched and predictable? Yeah, but since when was there a rule that every movie had to be original and inventive to make for an enjoyable time at the movies? Trouble with the Curve is carried by a great cast that manages to keep its melodrama at bay, making for a touching little family story that's sure to strike a nerve with anyone who has actually been through something similar to our lead characters, or knows someone who has. Clint Eastwood revives the persona of one of my all-time favorite roles of his, Walt Kowalski from Gran Torino. He basically grumbles and growls his way through the movie, further solidifying my desperation for him to play an old Bruce Wayne in the Batman Beyond movie that WB is taking too long to make. He has already more than mastered the infamous "Bat-growl". Amy Adams (aka the future Lois Lane) is delight as always, making the perfect counterpoint to Eastwood's grumpy old fart. Justin Timberlake moved past 'bringing sexy back' and has become one of my surprisingly favorite young actors in the business today. He's had quite a few hits with me now; The Social Network, Alpha Dog, Friends with Benefits, and now this. I don't know what to say for the poor reception this film has recieved. Like I said, it's cliched and predictable, but not enough to make it a bad movie. At least in my opinion. See it for yourself, be your own judge. 3.5/5

• Fascade F

  
  What an awesome dramatic story about an aging Gus Loebel (Clint Eastwood) as he tries to make adjustments with the times as a baseball scout. The pressure is on from his superiors at the Atlanta Braves for him to find them a rookie that would pump new life into the team. They have… More
  What an awesome dramatic story about an aging Gus Loebel (Clint Eastwood) as he tries to make adjustments with the times as a baseball scout. The pressure is on from his superiors at the Atlanta Braves for him to find them a rookie that would pump new life into the team. They have found that rookie but he has got to scout their choice and tell whether he is any good or not for the team. As he is going through this pressure his daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) is having problems of her own in trying to make partner in her law firm when a family friend Pete Klein (John Goodman) calls her attention to the fact that Gus is having health problems that comes with "old age". As Gus' daughter tries to get closer to getting her father to admit to certain things about their relationship from their past and his health the more he pushes her away. Noticing this is (Justin Timberlake) Johnny Flanagan that takes a strong liking onto Mickey as well as try to get the two of them to get along. Truly one entertaining drama where the three of them comes to grips with the way life is as well as the way things can turn out if you let it run it's course. Truly an entertaining and lightly funny movie that hard to miss.

• Cameron J

  
  It's almost two hours of an old guy and baseball, so you know that this film is going to be super exciting. Kidding aside, if nothing else gives this film some degree of liveliness, then it's the fact that the old guy in question is actually Clint Eastwood, making his big… More
  It's almost two hours of an old guy and baseball, so you know that this film is going to be super exciting. Kidding aside, if nothing else gives this film some degree of liveliness, then it's the fact that the old guy in question is actually Clint Eastwood, making his big comeback to acting and reminding people of his being so charismatic that he makes most everything at least a little bit more exciting, such as, say, an argument with a chair. Of course, then again, I think that even the imaginary Barack Obama (If only that was the only kind) is due for some serious bashing, so I'm not too much less bias than the liberals who can't admit that Eastwood's stand-up act at the Apoll-I mean, Republican Convention was at least a little bit funny. Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is my statement that if Eastwood's beating that chair's "hide raw" (Get it?) wasn't his big answer for that liberal-looking Chrysler commercial, then this film is, as it is so conservative that even its plotting is absurdly formulaic. Of course, not everything is the same in this Eastwood effort, for although Eastwood is still awesome, he doesn't appear to be as sharp as he was, like, four years ago, when he could both direct and act at the same time, because he ended up handing over the directorial reins to his good buddy Robert Lorenz, a producer, which should tell you about the quality of the storytelling behind this film. Shoot, to be honest, I find it a bit hard to believe that Eastwood would have a daughter who's only in her 30s, because even back in the '70s, he was so old that I figured he had already gone through some kind of male version of menopause, or rather, manopause. I joke, and morbidly so, but one of Eastwood's, like, twenty real life sons, Scott, who is actually in this film, isn't but twenty-doggone-six, so I guess Eastwood still has some kick in him, which hasn't stopped him from getting Justin Timberlake in this film ostensibly in hopes of learning the secrets to eternal youth (Anyone still remember "In Time"?). Hey, he's still the old man I want to grow into, though I do kind of hope that my job by then will still be about as exciting as me, because although this film is still fairly decent, when it swings, it most definately does not always hit. What really helps in getting things by is entertainment value, as this film does get to be more reasonably lively than I expected (Relax people, this isn't "Moneyball"), and yet, while Clint Eastwood isn't taking on the responsibility of director, his tastes in slowness have clearly rubbed off a smidge on Robert Lorenz, whose slowness in storytelling is perhaps at its worst and most consistent in the earlier segments, - which, even then, never get to be too slow - but can still be found, to one extent or another, throughout this film, leaving things to meander and bland things up. Still, like I said, the film never gets to be necessarily all that dull, so if nothing else is problematic about Lorenz's slow storytelling, it's its giving you enough time to meditate upon just how thin this film's story concept is, if Randy Brown's script doesn't give you enough of a firm reminder of conceptual limits in plotting through its executing plenty of aspects with even more thinness that robs plenty of story elements and characters of layers and all that much meat in the first place. I guess some of your more major story elements have just enough weight to them to help the film in holding your interest, but on the whole, the majority of plotting elements within Brown's screenplay are paper-thin, and made all the worse by oh so many cheesy touches of histrionics, which aren't played upon too much in this generally dramatically light film, but go much too over the top whenever they do, in fact, hit - nay - overwhelm the scene (If you think a scene in which Clint Eastwood recites the lyrics of "You Are My Sunshine" to his wife's grave before we make a scene transition that is actually accompanied by Carly Simon's rendition of the song in question sounds corny enough on paper, just what until you see how it plays out). About as thin as the story structure and characters, this film's subtlety is fiercely lacking, leaving dramatic notes to come off as cloying, themes to come off as heavy-handed, and, of course, predictability to ensue, not in the least bit helped by an issue with this film that is about as immense as, if not a supplement to the cheesiness and thinness: conventionalism. Now, I went into this film hearing people bash it as essentially the very definition of stereotypical, though to my surprise and, to a certain degree, relief, this film isn't quite as exceedingly trite as they say, to where most every beat is driven by a cliche, and yet, with that said, make no mistake, this film is genric as all get-out, hitting one familiar note after another, not so shamelessly that it fancies itself good enough to compensate for lapses in orginality, but shamelessly enough for the considerable conventionalism to come off as about as awkward as the film's histrionics. Sure, conventions are more reccuring than histrionics, so you get a tiny bit used to them after a while, yet there's no ignoring that this film just isn't as inspired as it should be, not just in its degree of originality, but in its degree of depth, meandering along points superficially and cheesily, with little subtlety and grace, until what you're left with is a film that could have been, yet just ends up falling kind of flat. Still, no matter often the film finds itself swinging at the air, its not without its share of hits, and just enough of them to keep you reasonably entertained, or at least charmed, more often than not, though not without the help of some very light, but nifty stylistic touches. Tom Stern has a generally fairly decent photographic eye, but for whatever reason, when he works with a directing Clint Eastwood, more often than not, he all but turns into one of today's great cinematographers, so I reckon that means that this film stands as evidence of that criteria's being pretty tightly specific, because as involved as Clint Eastwood is in this film, he's not directing, thus Stern reverts back to being not much more than decent as a cinematographer, an event that really isn't too unfortunate, for although this film is hardly all that well-shot, there's a certain warmness to its coloring and lighting that Stern always delivers on, and gives the film a moderate degree of visual handsomeness, topped in its degree of liveliness by the film's soundtrack, or at least occasionally, as there are plenty of pieces on this soundtrack that fall flat (The Neighbors & Greg Camp's original song, "On My Way", is lame as all get-out), yet for every one of those fall-flat songs, there is a tune that is, at the very least, reasonably lively (I do indeed dig me some "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress"). The film's visual style and musical strength are both very limited, so it's not like this film hits all that hard with its artistic supplements to liveliness, yet they do their job passably in adding to charm and entertainment value, both of which go further augmented by what is actually done passably in, of all things, Randy Brown's script. Now, it's not like Brown's script is bad, partially because it's too bland to be bad, and partially because there are, in fact, some high points in Brown's writing, or at least when it comes to characterization, which is, in too many areas, much too thin, with little subtlety and even less originality, but still crafts some plot elements and characters that are genuinely kind of charming. Granted, some of the charm within Brown's plot and character exposition is forced upon you through manipulativeness that is often about as intense as the manipulativeness within the film's dramatic notes, but the point is that there is some charm to this film, at least in the script department, where ambitious is taken a bit too far at times, but still stands firm enough for you to feel a charmingly reasonable degree of the inspiration behind Brown's script, which would have come off as even weaker were it not for the adequate degree of entertainment value in Robert Lorenz's storytelling, or this film's cast's own charm. Sure, in all fairness, Joe Massingill definately throws things off whenever he taints the screen as the painfully generic promising, yet jerkishly overambitious baseball punk, not at all helping his trite, one-Note character with an obnoxiously overdone performance that is all but less convincing than Massingill's Bo Gentry character himself, while Matthew Lillard stands as not too much better in his also rather cheesy portrayal of his just as trite Phillip Sanderson character, but outside of these rather raw eggs who are relatively rarely used, this film flaunts a talented cast, whose members have pretty much nothing to do dramatically, but still charm distinctly, with the lovely Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake sharing only so many sparks when it comes to chemistry, thank pretty much entirely to directorial and writing missteps, but proving to each be particularly charismatic by their own rights. Still, when it comes time to play ball-I mean, when you get down to it, this is as much Clint Eastwood's show as it is his big comeback to acting, and, as expected, Eastwood does not disappoint, playing Clint Eastwood yet again, but doing so with his usual, as put best by the Rotten Tomatoes consensus of this film, "grizzled" charisma, complimented by Amy Adams' whenever she hits the scene, sharing enough effective chemistry in Eastwood for you to go sold on a pretty key relationship that drives this film. If wish I could say that the rest of the film is as effective as our two main leads' relationship, which, even then, is held back by - you guessed it - directorial and writing missteps, yet for every shortcoming, this film turns in enough undeniable charm as a mess that livens things up enough for you to walk away entertained, if you do, in fact, actually remember this film long enough to remember why you feel adequately entertained. To run for home plate and call this game, slowness rears its ugly head in things here and there, though not nearly as often as thinness in characterization, emphasized by cheesy histrionics and, worse of all, an abundance of cliches that do about as much as any flaw in making this slightly promising picture underwhelming, but cannot take away from what enjoyment there is to be had in the final product, which has a certain warm charm to its photography, and lively moments in its soundtrack, as well as some undeniable color in its writing and direction, brought to life by the generally charismatic performances - especially those of Justin Timberlake, Amy Adams and leading man Clint Eastwood, the latter of whom, at the very least, share pretty effective chemistry - that do about as much as any strength in making "Trouble with the Curve" an entertaining piece of filler, no matter how much it is a bit too filler for its own good. 2.5/5 - Fair

• Palmer R

  
  Think of this as the "anti-Moneyball." The former was my kind of sports movie, where computers calculated everything and essentially turned an industry full of convicts and douchebags into mere numbers, being deservedly herded like sheep until they literally broke down,… More
  Think of this as the "anti-Moneyball." The former was my kind of sports movie, where computers calculated everything and essentially turned an industry full of convicts and douchebags into mere numbers, being deservedly herded like sheep until they literally broke down, only to be replaced. This film completely discounts this to concentrate on the old school "heart of the game." Granted it could be far more offensive about this, but it's still a little weird now that we know that every statistic in baseball can be calculated by Brad Pitt. Maybe if it had come out before the excellent "Moneyball," it may have stood a chance. It's not a bad movie though, but only by accident. The script and direction are nothing short of atrocious, and it's saved only by somehow getting great actors. Eastwood is, as usual, at the top of his game, actually having to act older than he actually is and pretending to be frail, for once. Amy Adams is wasted once again as yet another "one of the boys" attorney, and if not for her, she'd be a Lifetime movie character. But the two of them take awful ideas on paper and make them into saving graces. In fact, Adams is the only reassuring thing about next year's Superman reboot, where she'll be playing Lois Lane. The rest of the cast also does well, from John Goodman essentially playing a less violent version of his "Big Lebowski" character to Shaggy from those live action Scooby-Doo movies playing Billy Beane's evil twin. It's actually kind of scary how much the makers of the film hate that guy (Brad Pitt's character in "Moneyball," and a GM in real life). Justin Timberlake, the one singer of recent memory who can actually act, is given the short end of the stick, as his character isn't given much to do other than sexually harass Adams' character and literally spends an entire scene watching a group of little boys playing baseball. Considering how good Timberlake actually is, clearly this role should have gone to a really bad actor, like one of the guys from "Magic Mike" who wasn't Channing Tatum. Essentially, only watch this if you like Eastwood or if you hated "Moneyball." It's not terrible, but nor is it even close to being realistic. This is effectively the last baseball film that will ever be made, most likely.

• Jeffrey M

  
  Trouble with the Curve is predictable and formulaic in the sense that every mainline Hollywood sports film is. We get a sense from the beginning where the story is going to go, the arcs the characters are going to go though, and the ultimate resolutions. From that standpoint, there… More
  Trouble with the Curve is predictable and formulaic in the sense that every mainline Hollywood sports film is. We get a sense from the beginning where the story is going to go, the arcs the characters are going to go though, and the ultimate resolutions. From that standpoint, there are really no surprises to be had. What is good about Trouble with the Curve, however, is the journey in getting there. The film features strong performances from the cast (even Justin Timberlake whose bursting enthusiasm fits his role well), with the always reliable and formidable screen presence of Clint Eastood, matched with the charm and general appeal of Amy Adams. Both leads have a noticeable chemistry. The script, though predictable, has a number of good lines and places the characters in situations and settings that are interesting. The film is executed well enough that its themes are not lost or made to no effect, with a surprisingly good (albeit clichà (C)d) ending. It's funny when it needs to be, appropriately dramatic in other parts, and also often meditative. The film seems willing to explore uncomfortable areas that other similarly themed films wouldn't. So while it doesn't reinvent the wheel with anything it does, it accomplishes what it sets out to do well, and is really a solid film all around, with enjoyable performances, and another opportunity to see the legendary and always charismatic Clint Eastwood at work. 3.5/5 Stars

• Burger S

  
  I was surprised to see that Clint did not direct this. Good story, great acting. Clint is falling into the grunting "Grand Torino" caricature old man role too easily.

• Jackson W

  
  This film would probably be the most disappointing sports film in a long time had it not been solely marketed to showcase the has-been but still one of the manliest actors in the business, Clint Eastwood. The only real highlight in this ball diamond crisis gone wrong, Eastwood's… More
  This film would probably be the most disappointing sports film in a long time had it not been solely marketed to showcase the has-been but still one of the manliest actors in the business, Clint Eastwood. The only real highlight in this ball diamond crisis gone wrong, Eastwood's scout character has no real world around him, getting up there in age and blind, having pizza for breakfast and foregoing any usage of modern technology. So needless to say, his story was quite intriguing. But one good apple doesn't deliver the bunch unfortunately. Terribly thin, forced acting from Adams and Timberlake to which I would gladly exchange their on again off again affair with a Braves game or two.

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