THE DINK
Starring: Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Aaron Chen, Ed Harris, Ben Stiller, and Patton Oswalt
Director: Josh Greenbaum
QUENTIN
A sort of unassuming, B-comedy hybrid of Happy Gilmore and Hot Rod, The Dink only worked for me as well as it did — which is to say barely at all — because I’m a big Jake Johnson fan. His affability and ability to deliver grounded absurdity sells every bit of the movie’s silly premise and not-all-that-funny jokes. With anyone else in the lead, my rating is probably way worse because I didn’t really laugh or catch feels when the story reached its inevitable conclusion. But I got to spend almost two hours (virtually) hanging out with Johnson, which will never feel like a waste of time.
ROBERT
Comedy and Apple haven’t been hitting at the highest success rate, but for me, sports comedies always start with good footing. When I think about The Dink, I think about 2010s Adam Sandler comedies, but with less absurdity. That isn’t always good, but in this silly movie about pickleball vs. tennis, it keeps it contained and on track. I haven’t seen all of Jake Johnson’s work, but he has such charisma as a doof and a man-child drafting off his glory days, he fits well. The rest of the cast is also vibing, even if the writing and setups don’t always score points.
KATIE
Maybe it's because my expectations weren't very high, but The Dink caught me off guard with how funny and charming it is. Jake Johnson is very charismatic in the leading role and is perfectly suited for the goofy character. He's also surrounded by a great supporting cast, especially the always excellent Mary Steenburgen and a hilarious Aaron Chen. Some of the jokes fall flat, and the dialogue is sometimes clumsy, but I found its silly, cheesy sense of humour and absurdity rather endearing. Overall, this is a fun and good-natured throwback to Adam Sandler-esque comedies of the 2010s.
