Movie Review - Hustle

Director: Jeremiah Zagr
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Juancho Hernandez, Ben Foster, Kenny Smith, Robert Duvall,
 
Description: A basketball scout (Adam Sandler) discovers a phenomenal street ball player while in Spain and sees the prospect as his opportunity to get back into the NBA.

Review: In “Hustle”, Adam Sandler can express his love for basketball as a talent scout and aspiring assistan coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. Produced by himself and baskets player LeBron James, the film can count on many cameos by NBA players. It’s a colorful affair with many beautiful shots. The story is not spectacular or new, but has enough layers to get you invested.

The film is great for basketball fans. If you have no affinity with the sport whatsoever, you might not like it as much. Sandler plays basketball scout Stanley Sugarman, who discovers a talented street basketball player in Spain (played by real-life NBA player Juancho Hernangómez, currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs).

Stanley spends most of his life on a plane and missing his daughter’s birthday. To prove himself as a coach and be allowed to be home more, he tries to get his newfound talent Bo Cruz from Spain to level up enough within a month and a half to play in the NBA.

Adam Sandler portrays a believable and heartfelt role as the bratty and failed former athlete Stanley, slightly disappointed with his life but still filled with his passion for the sport. The role sits well with the new line of Sandler’s career, which since “Uncut Gems” has shown that he has much more going for him than bland jokes. Because the featured player in this film have more experience in the sport than in the acting game, the heavy burden falls solely on Sandler’s shoulders to carry the story. He does manage to do so.

 I’m really loving this Adam Sandler and think “Hustle” is a great movie. Definitely if you’re a basketball fan.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Secret Life of Bees

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany, Hilarie Burton

Description: In 1964, a teenage girl (Dakota Fanning) in search of the truth about her mother runs away to a small town in South Carolina and finds a family of independent women who can connect her to her past.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 36: A MOVIE WITH A MAINLY FEMALE CAST
 
Review: In “The Secret Life of Bees” we follow teenager Lily, who lives with her abusive father after her mother died. The only good thing in her life is housekeeper Rosaleen, who has to deal with her own fair share of abuse, given she is a black woman who wants to register to vote in 1960s Southern US. When Rosaleen ends up in the hospital after being beat up, Lily helps her and they both run away.
They end up in Tilburon, the town name she find in one of her mother’s belongings. She also found the label of a honey jar, which brings Lily and Rosaleen to August. She is a beekeeper who lives together with her sisters May and June. August welcomes both with open arms and they van stay with her for as long as they need.
The story share many events with us. Like Lily’s personal quest to come to terms with herself and to find out more about her mother. But also the issues like developments in the race issue.
Dakota Fanning plays Lily and does that very well. She is one of those child actors that we still here of frequently, which is good, because Fanning is a very talented actress. She is surrounded by a strong cast: Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Paul Bettany, Sophie Okonedo and Hilarie Burton. There is no weak link, but most of the praise goes to Queen Latifah and Sophie Okonedo.
What we see in “The Secret Life of Bees” is not completely credible. The Boatwright sisters’ home seems like a paradise in race-born hotbed America. This makes the movie less realistic. The colorful, warm cinematography and matching music also contribute to that magical, dreamlike setting. But believability or reality is not what this is about. “The Secret Life of Bees” is above all an enchanting story about hope and love in difficult times.

Rating: 3,5 / 5