Rated PG-13 for language, sexual references, thematic material and adult situations

By Patrick Sessoms
Beacon Columnist

posted Sep 28, 2012 - 2:58:02pm

O.K., it’s starting to make sense why Clint Eastwood did that whole one-man show at the Republican National Convention. He was obviously trying to lower expectations for his newest flick, Trouble with the Curve.

Eastwood has become the American standard for grumpy old men – either that or he is someone all grumpy young men aspire to be one day. Still, there’s only so far the whole dog-wanting-to-die-alone-under-the-porch act can go. This time, the filmmakers decided to give him a daddy-daughter story with Amy Adams to soften his image. So, hide your daughters, because Hollywood is going after their heart strings.

Eastwood is a baseball scout suffering from old age who reunites with his not-so-long-lost daughter (Adams), who has some rather unfounded abandonment issues. Being that Eastwood is old, he is forced to show that he has more heart and experience in his craft than all the younger guys and all the scouting computers combined. It’s an incredibly boring story: This is a movie about watching other people watch other people play baseball.

(Come to think of it, sometimes it’s a wonder anyone would think baseball itself would be that interesting without copious amounts of alcohol. Well, that’s not entirely fair to say, but Eastwood follows high school games, and the film never gives us a reason to be invested in them.)

This film’s other tremendous disappointment is Justin Timberlake, who is slowly proving that his great performance in The Social Network was a gigantic fluke. Between him and Eastwood’s one-dimensional performance, there’s nothing any of the actors offer to drag audiences to this film. Of course, there are the diehard Eastwood fans who may like this movie, but they could just as easily stay home and watch his good movies on AMC.

The film tries to make a point about relationships and what they tell us about the choices we’ve made in our lives. However, the fact that all the relationships in the film are despicably shallow makes it a worthless endeavor on the part of director Robert Lorenz. It’s a by-the-numbers film that takes a safe approach to an inoffensive theme. Sure, everyone in the audience probably has some issues with his or her parents, but this film doesn't have any sort of resolution for Eastwood's and Adams' relationship. It just carries on.

Of course, Trouble with the Curve tries for a few tearful scenes, especially when it features Eastwood tearfully singing "You Are My Sunshine" to a tombstone. But it’s all too much. Toss in some editing that only serves only to make sure every star gets his or her fair share of screen time, rather than an attempt at emotional resonance, and Trouble with the Curve is perhaps one of the only sports movies out there without any heart.

If you’re hoping that this film will trumpet the sounds of the fall, when movies become cinema (the difference being that one is trying desperately to win an award for the studio funding it), you will be disappointed. Trouble with the Curve will win no awards, nor will it be one of the most memorable movies of the year. It turns out Eastwood's most memorable performance of the year was in front of an empty chair.

Stars & Popcorn grade: 2 stars, 2 popcorn

— Born and raised in the sunshine state, Patrick grew up loving movies. He’s currently attending the University of Central Florida and is a Cinema Studies major. Along with being the president of Stars and Popcorn, he’s a player in the independent comics scene.

Sponsored by Liebe Entertainment Group, Marketplace 8. Click here to see showtimes for Trouble with the Curve

Visit Stars and Popcorn at www.starsandpopcorn.com

— info@beacononlinenews.com

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