| Netflix | Release Date: June 3, 2022 | CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
|
Positive:
31
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
|
Watch Now
| Stream On |
|
Critic Reviews
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
Hustle doesn’t rewrite any rules, but the film’s wholesome seduction is that you believe what you’re seeing — in part because of the presence of players from the aging legend Dr. J to Trae Young to Kyle Lowry and several dozen more. But also because Sandler plays Stanley with an inner sadness, a blend of weariness and resilience, and a stubborn faith in the game that leaves you moved, stoked, and utterly convinced.
Read full review
Jun 8, 2022
The film, directed by Jeremiah Zagar, isn’t the farce you might expect. Rather, it’s one of the most textured and affectionate films about basketball that’s come along in a long time. Starring Sandler as a road-weary NBA scout and with several teams’ worth of all-stars in cameos, Hustle has a surprisingly good handle and feel for the game.
Read full review
RogerEbert.comJun 7, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
There’s a sweetness at the film’s core that never gets too sickly. The international angle feels right for a league that has never been more worldly. Most of all, there’s Sandler, who finds something very real in Stanley, something beaten down but still hopeful. The actor has reached a point in his career where he can summon gravitas without it feeling like a hustle.
Read full review
Jun 2, 2022
The result, as directed by the promising Jeremiah Zagar (“We The Animals”), is an agreeable combination drill of humor, hurt, on-court action and redemptive uplift that’s closer to simply being a solidly inspiring sports movie than anything notably representative of the Sandler oeuvre.
Read full review
Jun 8, 2022
Its interest in the injustices and compromises of the sports world run secondary, in the end, to its greater priority, which is to find a place for a star in a game he loves. I’m talking, of course, about Sandler, whose hustle is all the more persuasive here for its low-key restraint. He’s seldom worked harder, or more winningly, for an audience’s pleasure.
Read full review
Jun 3, 2022
Jun 14, 2022
This is a movie that’s definitely got game. But what’s richest and best about Hustle is how, yes, it’s a character study. It’s not in the same league as “Hoop Dreams” or “High Flying Bird” or even “Hoosiers” (1986) — what is it about basketball-movie titles and the letter “h”? — but it’s smart and agreeable and, emotionally, it gives a true bounce.
Read full review
The TelegraphJun 3, 2022
What keeps it on its feet is the snappy direction of Jeremiah Zagar, a Philly native who shows off his home town with unmistakable pride, and has a lot of vivid strategies for what the camera’s doing (there are more time-hopping match cuts than I could count) or which song to put on top.
Read full review
The Film StageJun 2, 2022
Between Stanley’s briefly sketched relationship with Duvall’s departed owner and his mentorship of Bo, father figures loom large in Hustle, but you don’t feel much emotional weight, even as the player’s hothead attitude and past transgressions breed some second-into-third act tension.
Read full review
Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
