After giving a ‘shining’ performance in Safdie Brother’s Uncut Gems, Adam Sandler is back again with another critically acclaimed movie. The 55-year old collaborated with LeBron James to produce and star in Netflix’s sports drama called Hustle. The movie sees Sandler donning the role of Stanley Sugarman, a Philadelphia 76ers scout who dreams of coaching and is trying to get overseas players into the NBA.
Here’s what the official synopsis reads: “After discovering a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past abroad, a down on his luck basketball scout (Adam Sandler) takes it upon himself to bring the phenom to the States without his team’s approval. Against the odds, they have one final shot to prove they have what it takes to make it in the NBA.”
The movie, which premiered on the streaming service on June 8 has been garnering rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. Currently, Hustle is at a 91 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 85 reviews.
Mark Feeney of the Boston Globe wrote, “The presence of so many familiar names and faces is part of the appeal of Hustle. It serves a further purpose, adding to a sense of verisimilitude. That’s important with any sports movie.”
While Amon Warmann of the Empire Magazine said, “Hustle follows a familiar game plan but executes it well, with a love of basketball culture shining through — alongside a likeable Sandler performance.”
There was also high praise coming from New York Times, with Amy Nicholson, a top critic from the daily writing. She said, “Hustle, a terrific crowd-pleaser about the N.B.A. draft, knows that basketball is a sport of long arms and longer odds.”
Along with Sandler, the movie stars a heavy-weight cast of Queen Latifah, Robert Duvall, Ben Foster and a number of NBA players. The movie is directed by Jeremiah Zagar, who’s previously worked on We The Animals, which was also raved by critics with a score of 92 percent.
As far as Hustle is concerned, it currently stands as Sandler’s second-highest-rated movie after the Safdie Brother’s film, which has a rating of 92 percent. The actor will be collaborating with the director duo again for an unnamed project. Safe to say, things are looking food for Sandman.
( Image credits: Netflix )
