Trouble with the Curve

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source: Trouble with the Curve

I like Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams, I love Justin Timberlake and John Goodman. I have a lifelong love of baseball. This movie was so bad, I only finished watching it to see if it would continue to be as bad as it appeared. the answer is yes, it was. I am hard pressed to think of a movie that was more formulaic and predictable, really without one interesting scene or plot line. pure trite. worst of all the baseball depiction was atrocious. There is a story to be told in the answer to moneyball, and the fact that the game which once didn't use analysis too much has now swing to far the other way and needs more human scouting. But this movie strikes out in every way. horrid, horrid movie.

"Now get out of here before I have a heart attack trying to kill you." That is my favorite line from the 80 something Clint Eastwood in this movie Trouble with the Curve. The movie is sport drama, that is kind of predictable and it does drag, that you can actually get up, go to the toilet get back and still not have missed anything. This is Eastwood's first acting role since 2008's Gran Torino and his first acting role in a movie where he is not the director since 1993's In the Line of Fire. The great thing about this movie is Clint Eastwood; his years of acting and directing made it easy for him to flow with the other actors, and making him the principal person to look out for when you do decide to watch this flick. The movie plot is about an old retiring baseball scout Gus (Clint Eastwood) who is about to finish up his contract in 3 months, Gus eyes are failing him and his old time friend Pete (John Goodman) calls up his daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) to keep an eye on her father. Mickey who is very busy, had to break away from her demanding work to go be with Gus and together they go scouting where they met Johnny (Justin Timberlake) a former player that Gus scouted out. Not much of a big fan of Timberlake's acting, his performance in In Time (2012) is the best I have seen him in till date, here is just a supporting actor running around being a pest. The love story or romance perpetuated in this movie is too shallow, if this is how easy it is to fall in love, then I will tie myself to my wife everywhere she goes. (Note: there was no adulterous act in the movie) The movie's high point will be the locations, the movie was filmed in various locations giving it the rich feel like you are traveling with a scout, and it does pull up the question of man vs machine, which will triumph. In the other baseball based sport drama Moneyball (2012) which starred Brad Pitt, machine seems to be the victor; here man seems to be the victor, so I guess the fight continues. Trouble with the Curve, shows why scouts are always needed to help scout out talents, there can see things that your computer can, while the computer runs on statistics and calibration, the eyes and ears rely on fact and observation. Trouble with the Curve is an OK drama, but you have not missed much if you haven't seen it. www.lagsreviews.com

"No game in the world is as tidy and dramatically neat as baseball, with cause and effect, crime and punishment, motive and result, so cleanly defined." Paul Gallico The Trouble with the Curve is that there is no "curve ball" in the script, which seems almost computerized from the baseball-cliché app. However, for those who couldn't get enough of crusty Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, he's back for more curmudgeon as Gus, an aging scout for the Atlanta Braves who eschews sabermetrics and all such scientific analysis in favor of old fashioned gut work, especially hearing the sound of a ball hitting a glove and a ball hitting a bat. First-time director Robert Lorenz, a producer for many Eastwood films, makes sure the heroic Eastwood hero follows the formulaic plays so long a part of the Eastwood game. Difficult Gus doesn't much abide his accomplished daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), whose bid for partnership in her law office is a sign that he may have done something right, not that he would ever talk to her of his feelings about anything. She accompanies him scouting out a potential star in North Carolina as she sees how his eyesight has deteriorated and could need help. But Gus, in vintage Eastwood style, accepts no help, and so the story slips into formula with Mickey romancing a former star, Johnny (Justin Timberlake); a young Braves scout, Philip (Matthew Lillard), getting his comeuppance, and the world improbably going everyone's way at the most contrived, vapid, and neatly tied together conclusion in baseball film history. In other words original material is absent, Moneyball looks like Citizen Kane next to this froth, and both films share a similar combat between the old scouts and the upstarts with their computers. In Moneyball the metrics win out; in Trouble the gut does its job. But then, in most Eastwood movies, with him as director or just actor, the bullies are humiliated and the old guys win the match. The young women, e.g., in Million Dollar Baby and Trouble, gritty though they are, learn and win largely because they're Clint's protégés. Baseball is never like that except in the movies.

I wont review this movies by going on a rant!! its simple, people aren't all bad or all good , they laugh and deal with drama n bad stuff happens along the way that we deal with blah blah blah I know you got bored already just reading this, well this is what this movie leaves you with. the director forgot one thing about movies, Entertainment!! I don't wanna hear about daddy issues , which in this movie I got over and over again!! I don't wanna see Clint Eastwood, angry all the time , well it makes sense imagine pitching the movie to Clint:"well sir , i know you don't wanna act anymore but this movie you don't even need to , you'll get paid just showing up, and pretend you like baseball, we will add music to make sure the audience sense that" its not funny , and the drama is all over the place "Daddy why did you leave me crap!!!" i don't like emotional lollipops given to me all the time, make me laugh present a complex something let me believe i got brains. the basics are this, its political it reminds you that the American dream is still alive,by presenting hard work , talent & emotions(American people) vs opportunistic, untalented ,robots(CEO's) and guess who won !!! the dumb one who believed this Disney version of life.

In Atlanta, the aging Brave's baseball scout Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) is near the end of his contract and the manager Vince (Robert Patrick) questions whether it is not the time for his retirement. Meanwhile the stubborn and grumpy Gus learns that he has problems with his eyes and need to go to a specialist but he hides the medical recommendation from everybody. Gus's boss and friend Pete Klein (John Goodman) knows that baseball is the pride and joy of Gus and a retirement would kill him and asks him to travel to North Caroline to scout the promising player Bo Gentry (Joe Massingill). Pete also protects Gus from the ambitious colleague Phillip Sanderson (Matthew Lillard) that wants his position and to get Gus fired. Pete visits Gus's estranged daughter Mickey (Amy Adams), who is an efficient lawyer that is disputing a partnership in the office where she works with her colleague Todd (James Patrick Freetly), and asks her to travel with Gus to North Caroline. Mickey is a great fan of baseball and has a great knowledge of the sport since she used to travel with her father when she was young, but she has a childhood trauma since Gus abandoned her with an uncle when she was a child. In North Caroline, Gus meets the former pitcher Johnny (Justin Timberlake), who had an early retirement due to an injured shoulder and now is scouting for the Red Socks but aiming to be a broadcaster. When he meets Mickey, there is a mutual attraction between them. Along the days, Gus discovers that Gentry has problems with balls pitched in curve and he does not recommend the player to the Brave. He also tells Johnny about Gentry's problem. But when Phillip advises Vince to hire Gentry, Vince's decision affects the lives of Gus, Mickey and Johnny. "Trouble with the Curve" is a good movie with Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams about baseball and relationship. It is impressive the longevity of Clint Eastwood and how adapted he is to this phase of his life. Amy Adams is one of most delightful actresses of Hollywood. The story entwines drama with romance and sport and the result is an enjoyable movie even for those like me that are not fan of baseball. My vote is seven, Title (Brazil): "Curvas da Vida" ("Curves of the Life")

First, let it be known, I am a huge Clint Eastwood fan. From his Westerns including the amazing "Unforgiven" to his startling and touching directorial triumphs including Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of our Fathers, etc etc. Given his well-earned iconic status, I find it sad that he chooses the brain-dead "Trouble with the Curve" as one of his later appearances. The dialog I would put on a par with "Expendables 2" which is to say horrendous. Poor Eastwood, Adams, Timberlake, Goodman, and other fine actors are forced to spout ridiculous dialog that seems to have been written by a 10 year old. Watching the film, we found ourselves laughing at the dialog in in appropriate places, paying attention to how poorly made the film was, rather than even following the story. The story seemed to meander around, first being about Eastwood needing some player to start hitting to keep his job... but then they just drop that plot to make it be about something different... then at the end, they bring everything back together again, tying it into a ribbon without any further explanation or emotional investment earned. The baseball is terrible also. The home run hitter guy is obviously not an athlete, much less a "five tool" superstar. Other players, who are supposedly at the triple-A level, especially the narrow shouldered, bespectacled player who precedes the slugger in the batting order, are characters more out of "Bad News Bears" than a real baseball movie. The peanut vendor turned star situation is too ridiculous to even comment further on. The ending, as contrived as it is, provides a small amount of satisfaction, but even that is spoiled by Lillard's ridiculous overplaying of the villain, and more even more inane and pointless dialog. I hope very much that we see Eastwood in movies more deserving of the status he has earned. "Trouble with the Curve" hits a single simply through its stellar cast, but is thrown out trying to stretch it into a double, aiming for far more than the skill of the writers, editors and producer are able to deliver. Everyone involved in this hollow and artificial shell of a movie should be more than a little bit embarrassed.

If you are the daughter of a man that took the time to come to your elementary skit shows...or never missed a little league softball game...or walked around the neighborhood with a flashlight following you at a safe distance during Halloween...or hugged and kissed you every time there was an earthquake...or a thunderstorm...or the electricity went out...then go see this film. Clint Eastwood will bring back memories of your dad too, like he did mine. The movie was very touching, sweet and deep. Not every girl gets to experience having a dad that's present, but if you did, you will thoroughly enjoy this story. I used to watch baseball games with my dad (The Dodgers) and we would talk about the players and the opponents and we enjoyed it. It gave us our special time to be alone, because my mom was bored with baseball...and during that time my dad would talk about everything else during my day...and I didn't realize it until I was in High School. Great movie...thanks for the memories dad.

You know a movie is in trouble when they cast Justin Timberlake in a lead role. Justin "big chin" Timberlake!. This is a bittersweet baseball movie with a good performance by Amy Adams and Matthew Lillard plus a workmanlike performance by Eastwood. Obviously hoping to ape the success of Million Dollar Baby. Unfortunately the script is so utterly predictable and clichéd. You know how each one of the one-dimensional characters will turn out, what the complications will be and how they'll end up resolved. There are no surprises. Its a movie to have on in the background or to doze off to, so wait for it on TV. the movie deserves more than a 1 but I'm rating it lower to counter all the fake glowing reviews. The cinema was nearly empty when I saw it but maybe all those empty chairs were audience members that only Eastwood could see