The Dink Is Comfortably Familiar

The Dink plays a familiar game. Classic stakes take aim at metaphors which work within a specific sport. Here, some of the humor is derived from the niche nature of pickleball, but plenty of it comes from the earnest story of a broken person trying to fix their flaws. It’s that latter aspect which gives The Dink charm enough to score. How high that tally goes is another question entirely.

Events revolve around fallen tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson). His meteoric rise veered into a calamitous crash out competing against Andy Roddick. Haunted by epic childhood failure, Dusty has descended from pro to tennis coach tedium, teaching obnoxious children at his father’s country club. One day his dad, Chuck (Ed Harris), needs a heavy hitter to knock out the growing pickleball scene he abhors. Preparing for the deciding duel, Dusty injuries himself. Prescribed pickleball as a form of physical therapy, he reluctantly plays the sport only to discover, especially in the company of Candace (Mary Steenburgen), that he enjoys it. Not to mention, the game inspires this busted manchild to finally find closure, perhaps even happiness.

It’s a formula seen in a dozen different movies. What The Dink does well is serve the concept sincerely. This is a feel-good comedy centered around the fastest rising sport in the U.S. The flaws of its main character are overcome mainly by experiencing life from a different angle. The overall film is about community, perspective, and how a little encouragement can raise someone out of a deep hole. Sprinkled throughout are a few brief games of pickleball.

Anyone who’s delighted in the delusional arrogance of myriad Danny McBride characters will recognize the playbook here. The same brash personality, unflinchingly oblivious of any personal flaws, is the basic template for Dusty. It’s a formula that goes back to at least the 1980s, when Chevy Chase dominated that character type, and Adam Sandler picked up the mantle throughout the ’90s. What The Dink tries to do is present a softer version. While Dusty can be comically presumptuous in situations, he doesn’t have the abrasiveness of similar roles seen in other flicks such as Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (2014) which has a roughly similar arc.

The Dink delivers the kind of humor for those looking to go an inch over the edge. Thanks to a certain charm the flick never needs to rely on crass comedy. Although it does take one or two swipes at that kind of joke, the movie often prefers finding the funny in the interplay between characters. That’s great because the low hanging fruit it gathers from vulgar vines aren’t as exciting as they may have seemed on paper. Tired jokes about masturbation may amuse middle schoolers, but especially when delivered by award-winning middle-aged comedians, they come across as lazy gags rather than clever comedy.

Part of the joy is watching Jake Johnson (Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse) come to terms with the reality of his life. For instance, at risk of spoilers, The Dink features an interesting twist regarding Dusty’s decline. It seems the story he likes to share isn’t the whole truth. This makes his perspective less delusional and more a tragically broken person in denial. While every step towards honesty hurts, it makes his journey more engaging.

His growth is largely influenced by the effusive Candace. Mary Steenburgen (Nightmare Alley) plays a late-in-life divorcee throwing herself into everything existence can offer with an infectious joie de vivre. Her performance makes it easy to see how someone can gain an optimism they never possessed so long as the right person is by their side.

The rest of the cast are sturdy pillars, albeit in recognizable roles. Patton Oswalt (Deathstalker) delivers the dorky individual that’s defined his career, a subculture enthusiast typically pushed around, who finds his way to push back. Aaron Chen (Fisk) plays Dusty’s slavishly devoted best friend to the hilt. Lynn Marie Stewart (It’s Always Sunny…) is delightful as a sharp-witted senior pickleball player, who’s barbs get especially sharp thanks to assists by her companion Gail played marvelously by Cleo King (Magnolia). Ed Harris (How to Make a Killing), meanwhile, fits perfectly into the template for demanding dad that comes with this kind of movie.

The Dink doesn’t really explore any new territory. This is a comedy that sticks to the preset premise like glue. That can make it a chill watch given there are next to no surprises. The few that do occur are simply nice twists dodging clichés it could have easily embraced.

Director Josh Greenbaum doesn’t do much as far as stylization. The Dink is almost a paint-by-numbers motion picture. Shots capture what needs to be seen without adding much to the scenarios. Since the cinematic aspect doesn’t help the humor, everything is left in the hands of the cast as well as the script.

Fortunately, there are several genuine laughs peppered throughout The Dink. Some of the gags rarely rise above a chuckle but even then, there’s a sweetness to some, while others are honestly clever. It may be the predictable nature of the gags that keeps them from being rousing. Though that said, two or three gave me a long-lasting grin. All in all, amusing is a better description than laugh out loud comedy which is miles better than zero laughs.

The Dink is a nice Friday night flick for families with kids who are just getting old enough for more adult humor. Viewers seeking something outrageous might due best putting this off until in a milder mood. However, The Dink is a solid enough time killer with genuine laughs here and there. The lack of crude humor is simply due to a movie aiming for sentimental instead of shocking. And given the uplifting angle it aims for, one watch on an otherwise dead evening wouldn’t hurt. It’s always better to kill boredom with something new rather than revisit the same old, same old for the thousandth time.