SCREEN | Jake Johnson Aces 'The Dink' on Apple TV

"When you piss off the Hammer, everyone's a nail."

Apple Original Films / Rivulet Entertainment

Comedian Jake Johnson (also a producer) stars as a cantankerous and washed-up former tennis pro turned reluctant pickleballer, Dusty Boyd aka "the Hammer," in the formulaic but appealing sports comedy, The Dink. Produced by and co-starring Ben Stiller, director Josh Greenbaum focuses on the basic athletic aspects of the film's humour to mine its well-worn material clearly inspired by the similarly-themed Dodgeball movie that Stiller also starred in and produced.

It's a fairly simple and straightforward premise, scripted by sitcom writer Sean Clements, about competive redemption and adult friendship wrapped in the current popular sports trend. We get all sorts of jokes and comically set up situations pitting tennis against pickleball against each other. Many seasoned dramatic and comedic performers like Mary Steenburgen as Dusty's new doubles partner, stand-up comic Aaron Chen as his loyal sidekick, and Ed Harris as his deeply serious, humourless coach father allow the earnest comedy to unfold naturally around Johnson lackadaisical loser everyman.

Johnson's imminently likeable but self-destructive demeanour carries The Dink's generally mild but charming sense of amusement rather well. It's full of pleasing characters, performances, and familiar athletic competition elements akin to the myriad of underdog sports comedies we used to get. It's a real charmer and consistently (dumb) fun that pays homage to the 2000s-era of comedian-forward movies.

The Dink is available to stream on Apple TV.


More | YVArcade / Chronicle / Indiewire