Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen star in “The Dink.”Credit: Apple TV
With the rise in popularity of pickleball, a “pickleball movie” was inevitable. But I’m frankly relieved that The Dink is in the hands of director Josh Greenbaum. He’s the helmer of the brilliant buddy comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista del Marand the buddy documentary Will & Harper.
Not only are both of these movies top-tier when it comes to feel-good films, but each centers on older women without making them the butt of any jokes about aging. Instead, both celebrate their heroines for their brightness, humor, horniness, and brave honesty. And The Dinkfollows in their footsteps, while being a bit more mainstream.
The Dinkbrings together Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Patton Oswalt, and Aaron Chen for a buddy comedy that’s laugh-out-loud hilarious and terrifically heartwarming. But of course, it begins with the fiery rivalry between tennis players and pickleballers.
The Dinkis a sensationally silly sports comedy.
Jake Johnson stars as lovable loser Dusty Boyd, who’ll tell anyone who’ll listen about his brush with long-passed glory. As a child, Dusty was a tennis prodigy, coached by his father Chuck (a comically mirthless Ed Harris) to be the next hard-hitting legend. But after a disastrous match against Andy Roddick (yes, Andy Roddick), his reputation was destroyed. So here he is, a lollygagging tennis coach to children at a club run by his father.
But Dusty has a chance to redeem himself in his father’s eyes when a new enemy invades their pristine tennis courts. You guessed it: pickleballers.
In a deranged slideshow presentation, Chuck explains to Dusty how the pickleballers — led by Patton Oswalt — are demanding more courts, which will obviously lead to pickleball dominating the world, so no one can play tennis again! To beat them back, Chuck sets up a tournament, pitting the best tennis player against the best pickleballer. Winner makes the call on the courts.
However, Dusty’s mission to squash the pickleballers gets sidetracked when he begins playing himself, alongside some charismatic older women, including Candace (Mary Steenburgen). While it’s a rough start learning the game and its playful lingo, Dusty grows close to Candace at movie nights and country bars. And through their friendship, they both begin to realize how they’ve gotten stuck in the narratives of their past, which is inhibiting their growth toward a better future. Naturally, those lessons will be tied into a big final match, where pickleball becomes a metaphor for life.
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Don’t worry. You won’t have to strain to catch that message. Greenbaum’s got John McEnroe making a cameo in The Dink, playing an unsolicited commentator on the big match.
Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen lead a hilarious cast.
With many years of New Girl behind him, Johnson has a lot of practice at playing a lovelorn buffoon. And given Steenburgen’s elegance, it’s easy to see how Dusty would fall for Candace. But The Dinkrejects the temptation to become a cliched rom-com of opposites attract. Instead, Johnson will play the fool, while Steenburgen will be his straight man. Their chemistry is crackling and their comedic timing sublime.
But Johnson switches gears opposite Aaron Chen, who plays a co-worker who idolizes Dusty and believes every tall tale. With Chen, Greenbaum is able to reach into more offbeat humor through goofy visual gags and a flat delivery that’s a sharp foil to Johnson’s funny floundering.
Beyond that, The Dinkhas a jaw-dropping list of comedians turning up for gleefully ludicrous bit parts, like Ben Stiller as a rambling doctor, Oswalt as an uptight pickleballer, Chris Parnell as a smug tennis player, Chloe Fineman as a mean ex, and the late Lynne Marie Stewart (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiaand Pee-wee’s Playhouse) as a flirty friend of Candace’s. However, Ed Harris deserves a special shout-out here.
Ed Harris had me howling in The Dink.
This long-celebrated American actor has really sunk his teeth into playing a string of ruthless fathers, from the grisly thriller Love Lies Bleedingto the dark comedies Riff Raffand How to Make a Killing, and now The Dink. Where Johnson goes broad and Chen goes offbeat for punchlines, Harris goes unflinchingly serious. He’s treating this squabble between club members and courts as if it’s a threat to the Earth as we know it. He regards every Dusty freakout with a stern but unfurrowed brow. And that’s what makes his bits hysterical.
Greenbaum smartly blends these different styles of comedy to craft a movie that’ll be a crowd-pleaser. There are bits in here weird enough to exist in the wacky and wondrous world of Barb and Star. Then there are riffs of physical comedy or a serene absurdity that feels in line with the comedy of Will Ferrell and Harper Steele. Johnson plays more broadly, expertly hitting every beat with aplomb. Steenburgen offers support with stinging one-liners and lively reactions. And I can’t stress enough: The Dinkwon’t mock pickleball or those who play it.
Greenbaum’s brand of comedy is defiantly wacky, welcoming, and humane, never mean. So The Dinkis sure to please, whatever your age or interest in its central sport.
Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she’s an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.
