Jake Johnson's new sports comedy 'The Dink' offers an engagingly silly look at the world of pickleball, a game often dismissed as a facile pseudo-tennis for children and the elderly. The film explores how this sport threatens to infantilize and dumb down the tennis world, all while delivering plenty of laughs.
Plot and Characters
Johnson plays Dusty, a middle-aged loser who ironically calls himself 'The Hammer.' He once showed promise as a tennis player but was crushed by a humiliating teenage encounter with the young Andy Roddick, who appears in a cameo as himself. Now, Dusty coaches at the tennis club owned by his father, played by Ed Harris, who is constantly scowling and contemptuous of everything Dusty does. The only thing that allows Dusty to reclaim his self-respect is his utter loathing for pickleball, whose followers are grudgingly allowed one mini-court at the club. This sets up a meet-cute quarrel with pickleball enthusiast Candace, played by Mary Steenburgen.
Injury and Transformation
Dusty's doctor, played by Ben Stiller, recommends pickleball as the best way to recover from a wrist injury. This injury serves as the pretext for a mountain of 'jerking off' gags. To his surprise, Dusty discovers he kind of likes the noble art of pickleball, with its slower, more thoughtful pace and the prominent role of the humble 'dink' drop shot. He also finds himself more than liking Candace, though the film flinches from the reality of an age-gap relationship.
Cameos and Supporting Cast
As with any comedy about tennis, John McEnroe has a funny walk-on, playing himself and commentating with baffling intensity on the climactic on-court confrontation between Dusty and his nemesis Roddick. The supporting cast includes Australian comic Aaron Chen as Dusty's cringingly submissive beta-male wingman PJ, and Patton Oswalt as the pickleball partisan Slip. However, '30 Rock' fans may find the film provides a pretty meagre role for Chris Parnell, the great Dr Spaceman in Tina Fey's TV comedy classic.
Release and Availability
'The Dink' is set to premiere on Apple TV on 25 July. According to the review, the film delivers engagingly silly laughs and is worth a watch for fans of sports comedies.
