By Logan Thomas – Staff Reporter

The film “Hustle” is a sports drama movie released in 2022 starring Adam Sandler. It was directed by Jeremiah Zagar and was produced by LeBron James. It follows the story of a basketball scout for the Philadelphia 76ers trying to make a statement with a great player. Sandler, who is well-known for his comedy, plays a serious role in this film.

The movie follows the story of Stanley Sugarman, played by Adam Sandler. Stanley is always tired of traveling around the world and just wants to become a coach instead. After traveling to Spain, he finds a young and talented player named Bo Cruz. Bo is capable of making any move he wants in the court while being lengthy and agile. Stanley brings Bo under his wing after lots of convincing. Stanley wants to bring him to the NBA. The movie shows their struggles and challenges along the way, and how their relationships change throughout their training. 

There are multiple strong points about this film. One of them is the acting part. Adam Sandler did a great job playing the serious role. Juancho Hernangómez, a real NBA player who played Bo Cruz, is very good at acting. The movie feels real and emotional, especially during the training scenes and setbacks. Another great aspect of the movie is that they included real active NBA players. They included Anthony Edwards playing Kermit Wilts, Trae Young playing himself, and many others. Those players are some of the top players in the league currently, and that is why the movie felt so real and active.

Even though the movie was fantastic and entertaining, the movie has some weak points. Unfortunately, it relies very heavily on basketball knowledge. If viewers don’t know much about the sport, some scenes would be confusing and not exciting. Another issue is that there are too many scenes with cameos of NBA players. It is great that they get them involved, but putting famous players’ cameos in a movie can get a bit boring and not entertaining. 

Overall, “Hustle” is a great movie for people who love the game of basketball and inspirational stories. It shows how hard it is to succeed, but also shows how powerful it is to believe. Sandler plays a fantastic role in the film and portrays a great message for young players. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars