Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Really enjoyed this. After seeing Pig, I now have a profound love for Nicholas Cage, and this movie just played off of that same gonzo, self-aware schtick he's got going on right now.
It was fun, well paced, silly, stupid, and clever. I really liked it. And I now kind of want to watch Paddington 2. Lol.
I can't really describe it more because it's so self-referential. But if you have any love for Nicholas Cage, or even if you have ever loved mocking Nicholas Cage, this movie is a good time.
Hustle
This is a REALLY FUNsports movie. Wow, what a good time. It's no Any Given Sunday, the plot is 100% predictable, and it's spoon-fed to you like pablum, but not in a bad way, just in an earnest way that the movie does actually pull off.
What a frickin' gem they found in Juancho Hernangomez though, the Cinderella of the movie.
I am not a basketball fan, but my DH is an avid player and follows it casually. I had no idea going into the movie that he's actually a pro player, currently with the Raptors, I just thought he was a little known Spanish actor who was maybe a former college level basketball player and could pull off the athletics enough to be convincing with some movie magic. Nope, he's a pro baller and total unknown actor.
But man does he have a great screen presence. I bought his sweet, hard done by character completely and just loved him from his first scene. He has this adorable giant thing going on, with a heavy emphasis on sweetness. It's hard to have that kind of presence and chemistry on screen for a non-actor. I would love to see a making-of to see the process of casting the role.
There are too many cameos to count, so again, if you're a basketball person at all, it will be fun to see everyone. Plus you get the sense that they had a lot of fun making the movie.
It's been awhile since I saw a sports movie this well-paced and genuinely fun...okay, I'm saying "fun" a lot, I know, but it is. And Adam Sandler and Queen Latifah have a surprising amount of chemistry for a pair that I would NEVER expect it from.
Overall, even as a non sports person who particularly dislikes basketball and didn't recognize any of the very famous cameos in the movie except for Marc Cuban (he's in everything), the fact that I really, really liked it is saying a lot.
Although, I do like sports movies even though I don't like sports...so I guess it's not actually saying much after all?