Trouble With The Curve

So I watched good old Clint last night and I gotta tell you it was troubling.

Dirty Harry is dead and gone and Eastwood has left us with a curmudgeonly old character who is a constant reminder that getting old sucks. Even A-lister Amy Adams, John Goodman and Justin Timberlake couldn't make this a sinker a go. I might have been seriously depressed after watching this one had it not been for the Hollywood hook; the happy ending.

The story line is predictable. Eastwood is Gus, an aging and angry baseball scout who is facing the end of a very long career. Amy Adams plays Mickey (named after Mickey Mantle), Gus's estranged daughter. Gus is loosing his sight and quite possibly his mind until long time friend and colleague, Pete (Goodman) asks Mickey to accompany her father on his possible last scouting trip to scout the number one prospect and make sure things go well.

Adams is convincing as Mickey, a career driven lawyer who has no time for anything, except climbing the corporate ladder at her prestigious firm. Enter Justin Timberlake, who I can't take seriously as an actor because I still see BOY BAND when I look at him, as a love interest for Mickey. Timberlake plays Johnny, a former standout who ruined his arm and is trying to reinvent himself in the game as a scout and broadcaster. The romance between them never really grows a set of legs and walks in this script despite the solid performances.

But it's Easwood who is the story here. Dang, he's old. And he keeps reminding us that Cowboys never really die, they just get put out to pasture. He's angry and he's loosing his sight and he's not happy. Its painful at times to watch Eastwood convincingly teach us about the aging process. Of course this is Hollywood and these scripts make sure that there is a brass ring to grab at the end of this ride. Gus proves that he's still got it and that his age and experience make him still a valuable member of the baseball organization he is employed by. Mickey proves that she's got her father's talent and finds a new career path in sports management. Father and daughter reconcile and even bond over a shared love, the game of baseball, and Mickey finally finds her place in her father's world.

Cute, but too freakin late for my liking. I needed to be cheered up by then.

Can't say that I would recommend it, even for the most ardent baseball fans. Unless you love seeing a chick spew forth baseball trivia question answers like an encyclopedia. I'd wait until it's the movie of the week on ABC and that there's nothing better on TV.