LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Trouble with the Curve


Amy Adams as Mickey and Clint Eastwood as Gus in Warner Bros. Pictures' drama Trouble with the Curve.

Trouble with the movie! Trouble with the Curve is a baseball movie, and no one loves baseball movies more than I, but they are difficult to create for actors who are not baseball players and this problem is evident in Trouble with the Curve. Moneyball, Field of Dreams and Eight Men Out are successful baseball films.

Trouble with the Curve has more problems than just a lack of players. The problems include the script, lack of character development, and direction. Robert Lorenz (Gran Torino, Letters from Iwo Jima, Million Dollar Baby), longtime producing partner of Clint Eastwood, directed this film, which proves that a great producer is not necessarily a great director. The cast is stacked with talent: Oscar winner and Hollywood legend Eastwood, three-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams (The Fighter, Doubt, Junebug), three-time Emmy winner Justin Timberlake (The Social Network), and Golden Globe and Emmy winner John Goodman (Rosanne). This is an impressive ensemble cast that does not click because the director was unable to pull them all together. A few scenes with the older Eastwood were painful to watch.

The movie focuses on aging baseball scout Gus (Eastwood), who is struggling to find the next big superstar. His eyes and health are failing, but he does not give up. Gus' estranged daughter, Mickey (Adams), comes to lend her support and love. She also meets Johnny (Timberlake), a former baseball player whom Gus scouted years ago.

Trouble with the Curve is rated PG13 and is a long 111 minutes.

Derek Zemrak is a Film Critic, Film Producer and Founder of the California Independent Film Festival. You can follow Derek on Twitter @zemrak for the latest Hollywood news.