Hustle review: An underdog’s tale of redemption makes this Adam Sandler-starrer a sure-shot winner

3.5/5

Story: Former basketball player and now talent scout for the Philadelphia 76ers, Stanley Sugerman (Adam Sandler), hopes that he can, someday, make the transition from living out of a suitcase to a bench on court as a coach. Just when his long-time dream seems set to take off, his boss Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall) passes away, leaving the franchise with his son, Vince Merrick (Ben Foster). Unlike Rex, who firmly believed in Stanley and his eye for talent and who to pick for their side and who not to, Vince is more interested in turning around their fortunes quick. And for this, he wants Stanley to find them the next-best-thing on court, or risk losing his job.

Review: Everybody loves an underdog story; it’s a genre that just never looses sheen. There’s something about watching someone rise above all odds that tugs at our heartstrings – every single time – even when we know how it’s all going to turn out. These films even follow the same format – an uncut diamond waiting to be discovered and polished to shine like a star, while smoothening away the rough edges. It’s a formula that does not disappoint. Hustle – not to be confused with JLo’s film – is yet another underdog tale.

But if you are thinking that it is about finding the next basketball prodigy and his rise to the top, well, it’s not just that. This film is about the other underdog – the scout. Stanley’s heart lies in coaching, but he just can’t get there because he’s also one of the best scouts – a talent his team, the Philadelphia 76ers banks on. After many years of living out of his suitcase for months together, and missing his daughter’s birthdays, Stanley is ready for a bigger challenge – assistant coach of the team. But shortly after promising Stanley this transition, his boss, Rex Merrick passes away. With the team now headed by Rex’s son Vince, Stanley is sent back out to find them the next big star. Should he find one, he gets the coaching gig, else he ought to pack his bags.

Of course, Stanley finds a rising star… in faraway Spain, a 22-year-old construction worker Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez), with an extraordinary flair for the game. Problem is that he’s got a record – an assault charge – that could potentially ruin any chance he has of ever turning around his life. The odds are stacked against Bo, and Stanley too, as he realizes that getting his new find the break of a lifetime is going to be helluva lot more difficult than he imagined.

Hustle is produced by basketball great LeBron James, and features several well-known names from the game on the cast, like, for instance, Moe Wagner, Boban Marjanovic, Kenny Smith, Julius ‘Dr J’ Erving, among others. But it doesn’t make Hustle a basketball film. Yes, there are flashes of the game, but this one is is about the path to redemption for Bo and Stanley. And that means that Adam Sandler, the king of low-brow comedy, springs a surprise with yet another serious and measured act. As Stanley, Adam not only makes you forget his extraordinary talent at toilet humour, but also wish that he’d do more roles like the one in Hustle.

Verdict: The trouble with a film like Hustle is that you know where it’s going right from the start. There’s no shock or surprise element, really. So, the only way it will work if there are some solid performances and, on that count, Hustle does not disappoint. Real-life basketball pro Juancho has some acting chops, but this is well and truly Adam Sandler’s film and he wastes no time to show us what makes him one of the greats.