Trouble With The Curve - Review

Rating: 3 out of 5

CLINT Eastwood made a lot of fans’ days when he opted to come out of self imposed ‘acting retirement’ to star in family drama Trouble With The Curve and he duly rewards them with another fine performance.

A tale of father-daughter reconciliation set against the backdrop of professional baseball, the film is an enjoyably flawed experience that also boasts a typically strong performance from Amy Adams.

Eastwood plays Gus, a veteran baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves, whose career is threatened by failing eyesight and new ideas within the game.

A trip to the Carolinas to check out a hot prospect offers a final chance to prove his worth, and finds Gus’s estranged daughter Mickey (Adams) tagging along for support and the chance to atone for past failures even though it may also put Mickey’s career at risk too.

Directed by long-time Eastwood assistant Robert Lorenz, Trouble With The Curve is at its best when concentrating on the central relationship between Eastwood and Adams, who excel in each other’s company.

It’s here that Randy Brown’s screenplay is at its most rewarding and affecting, throwing in some astute observations on family dysfunction and old age as well as affording Eastwood the chance to tap into his sensitive side.

He’s great when playing gnarly, too, a moment never more satisfying than when he orders a cheque in a manner that would make Dirty Harry proud.

Elsewhere, the baseball storyline holds some interest, particularly in an anti-Moneyball kind of way, while a romance between Mickey and a young talent scout (Justin Timberlake) is nicely played.

Problems exist in the predictable nature of the storytelling, the lack of any real dramatic curveballs and an ending that errs towards the hopelessly sentimental and groan inducing.

It’s easy to forgive these flaws, however, given the great pleasure in seeing Eastwood back on-screen and on-form and playing so well with Adams.

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 111mins

UK Release Date: November 30, 2012