'The Dink' A Review

The Dink is a sports comedy about Dustin(Jake Johnson) a once promising tennis player who flamed out early and now works as an instructor for his overbearing father(Ed Harris) at his athletic club. After an injury he gets into pickleball and makes a friend Candace(Mary Steenburgen).

Jake Johnson does what he does here, which is fine, but incredibly limited. Aside from a sub-90-minute mumblecore flick this guy has no business leading a movie. His performance is more geared towards a sitcom or a sketch rather than a feature. It doesn't really feel like the character is an actual human, just Jack Johnson trying to be funny within this certain context. Disappointing. Much more compelling is Steenburgen, makes you wish she'd get bigger and better roles at her age, she's just gotten better. Ed Harris is having fun and it's nice to see him in something more broadly comic. The supporting cast is mostly good but the overall tone doesn't really work and the script is thin to emaciation.

The production one presumes was on a budget, it looks like generic made-for-streaming mass-assembly cinema. At least it was filmed on location in LA and gave some local actors jobs.

Honestly, it's not offensive as far as content but its sheer laziness(aside from Steenburgen) and lack of ambition was.

Currently streaming on Apple+.

Don't See It.