It takes guts to make an older actor the headliner in a major feature film, but if anyone could pull it off, it’s our man Clint. And since the movie is about baseball, I should say that he hit this one out of the park. Trouble with the Curve has the same vibe as El Camino; Clint is perfect in the crotchety old man role. Instead of building a relationship with neighbors, this film focuses on the rebuilding of a father-daughter relationship; namely, with Amy Adams, as well as some romance with female heart-throb Justin Timberlake. One of the key underlying themes is with old age in general and how to gracefully (or not) deal with it. The movie is dramatic and heartwarming; something we’ve come to expect from Clint productions, and I can say that you won’t be disappointed with his latest installment.
Nobody does cranky old man better than Clint Eastwood. I’m also betting that nobody embraces older aged acting better than him either. Thank goodness there wasn’t any ad-libbing with empty chairs.
Amy Adams is believable in the independant, tough, yet also vulnerable woman who is also built in her father’s mold.
Justin Timberlake is likable and reasonably well matched to Amy, but she outshines him most of the time.
John Goodman – a nice addition as the caring friend
Matthew Lillard – always seems to do really well in roles about guys you love to hate. Not sure why that it, but it works
Ed Lauter – not a very present role, but always nice to see him on the screen
Biggest complaint is a tad bit of slowness at times, and some missed opportunities to really connect with Amy and Justin.