First look Review: Trouble with the Curve
We don’t see Clint Eastwood in front of the camera much these days, and fans of the grizzled old warhorse won’t be disappointed by his first public outing since the Republican national convention. Whereas Eastwood’s televised rant in Florida was built on an inchoate manifesto of dissatisfaction and featured an unedited monologue with an empty chair, things are different with his new character, Gus.
Trouble with the Curve is a gently effective family reconciliation drama set against the backdrop of professional baseball. It presents a somewhat sprightlier and more coherent Eastwood than the furniture whisperer. Not that Gus shies from addressing mute objects – a can of Spam, a tombstone and even his penis are all beneficiaries of Eastwood’s words of wisdom.
Despite this navel-gazing, Trouble with the Curve marks the first time since Wolfgang Petersen directed him in the 1993 thriller In the Line of Fire that Clint has handed the reins to another film-maker. This time it’s Robert Lorenz, Eastwood’s longtime assistant, who delivers a highly accomplished directorial debut – albeit one that stays well within the bounds of Hollywood’s cookie-cutter approach to the family portrait.
Gus is a legendary baseball scout who works for the Atlanta Braves and definitely wouldn’t get along with the sabermetrics acolytes of Moneyball. With three months left on his contract, he heads over to the Carolinas to check out a prospect. Joining Gus is his workaholic attorney daughter Mickey, who is played by Amy Adams. She’s angling for partner at her law firm but takes off a few days at the behest of a family friend who’s concerned about Gus’s failing eyesight.
As the business side of the trip gets tricky, the uneasy father-daughter relationship thaws. Gus’s beloved wife died when Mickey was six and he sent his daughter to live with relatives. There’s a reason for this, which Lorenz touches on in a perfunctory manner that jars with the overall polish of the movie. Mickey’s personal inhibitions are further challenged when she falls for an uncomplicated love interest played by Justin Timberlake.
Warner Bros has a strong stable of award contenders this season and, while this will not be a major contender across all categories, the performances are strong and there could be a chance for Eastwood and Adams. It’s no surprise that Trouble with the Curve bears all the hallmarks of Lorenz’s mentor: prickly codger with soft centre, feisty young gal who inspires him to re-engage with life and unlikeable fringe players who get their comeuppance. Not Unforgiven-style, you understand, although you sense Gus wouldn’t mind taking a pop at anyone who gets his goat.
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