directed by:
Jeff Hamm written by: Jay Dee Walters, Justin Chaffee genre: Comedy |
I’ve gotta say, I was a little relieved to see that this was a Comedy, because I’ve been struggling to figure out how on Earth people have been able to take “Pickleball” seriously ever since it became a big thing. Satire is what we need for a mission like this, and as you’ll see from one of the opening scenes, where a crew of potential participants start getting their stretches on with Father Joseph (Kevin Farley), it seems like the team of writers Jay Dee Walters & Justin Chaffee understood how to go about doing this right. Spoiler alert, you’ve made more physical moves from the comfort of your couch. Yet, as one of the participants in this iron-man style of a sport bites the dust right there on the court from all the super strenuous activity, we’re reminded quickly of the inherent dangers that would come along with playing such an arduous game. It would appear that, at the very least, “Pickleball” is not for the faint of heart.
Directed by Jeff Ham, this film sets its sights on lampooning pretty quickly, and while it might not have you laughing out loud & rolling in the aisles as it gets underway, its clearly deviant concept will definitely get a deserved chuckle or two outta ya. Whether it’s the selfies being snapped at a funeral, the fun that Farley brings to his role, or the overall ridiculousness of how “Pickleball” starts to form its plotline, you recognize the familiar pattern of how movies like this are shaped, but it’s a comforting style of comedy that’s been fairly tried, tested, and true for more years than I’ve personally been alive so far. Is it a little worrisome that the dog Barry (Jay Dee Walters) leaves behind is somewhat stealing the show at the start? Sure it is! “Pickleball” is amusing for sure, but it has got some work ahead of it if it’s going to genuinely pull some big laughs out of its viewing audience. As you approach the finish line of the first half hour, you can feel the push/pull of a movie trying to sort out its direction, while seemingly hedging its bets not to be too edgy & risk pushing people away from watching it. Accessibility is an important thing in the grand scheme of movie-making, but if you pull too many punches, anybody stands the chance of getting knocked out. As “Pickleball” moved forward, it felt like there was a very high probability that this movie would play it safe to its detriment. Is it a strange coincidence that when discussing who will be the next pickleball coach with Father Joseph, one of the two brothers (Earl) seems to be more suited to helping him with playing bingo instead? That’s not the coincidental part; that’s just reality. The coincidental part happens when Earl’s brother Miles (Willie Mellina) makes fun of him, pretending to announce a bingo session, first starting with “G7” – the same number as Kevin Farley’s late brother Chris once tried to select for some bar fighting music in the movie “Dirty Work” back in the day. We’re all only six degrees away from Kevin Bacon, and never forget it. Anyhow, that’s just a piece of trivia you can keep in your pocket for when you need it later. “Pickleball” then starts to introduce the plot you were probably expecting to find, with the clubhouse in financial trouble, and the game’s most prominent star, Bradley Sinclair (Major Dodge), assuming the role of what will likely be the villain. From “Caddyshack” to “Happy Gilmore” to “Dodgeball” and most of the sports-based comedies you can think of, the plotlines are always fairly similar, which is another sign that things are being played safely. You can do that, and you can have a successful career in the shadows of the industry, I’m sure – but if you’re not challenging your audience or taking risks, it’s super hard to have that all-important breakthrough moment that will establish you as a creative force that has something to say. Without that, the real risk in doing things the way they’ve already been done is drowning in the sea of sameness. More of a good thing will always be exactly that, and no one’s going to complain all that much if the good thing is the kinda thing they’re into…but in terms of artistry and craft, I’m always going to believe that writers, directors, and creative types of all kinds want to blaze their own unique trail. While Earl isn’t likely going to be the saviour of this pickleball club (or movie for that matter), this film does still have one major ace up its sleeve that we’ve been waiting for. You might know him as the legendary Aaron Pierce…err…I mean…Glenn Morshower, the guy who played the legendary Aaron Pierce in the television series “24.” Everything that man touches is gold, so heck yeah, it’s troubling that it takes so long to get him involved in “Pickleball.” Give the people what they want! The characters are into it, and you’ll see it from the fired-up speech that Sinclair gives to the crowd at the start of the tournament, which has a potentially club-saving prize of $100K going to the winner. If we had half the enthusiasm for “Pickleball” the movie, as its contenders do for the sport, I think this film would be in great shape – but I’m not so confident that it would resemble anything close to reality. I think Hamm has put together a decent, watchable film, but I don’t think he’s setting the industry afire here. It’s hard to watch “Pickleball” and not want it to do more with just about everything it has going for it. I think much like the sport itself, it’s freakishly tough to make anything that has something to do with it exciting. Morshower gives it a little bit of help with his commentary, but the battle is completely uphill.
From dinks to dick shots, “Pickleball” relies on the fact that most people connected to the sport secretly all know it’s every bit as lame as these action sequences in the movie highlight. As to whether that’s intentional or not is anybody’s guess. When a ball seems to float and stop midair, flustering the game’s number one star, the floundering pickleball club and its crew of athletic misfits might just be getting some of the supernatural help they’d need to actually win this tournament. Admittedly, that’s kind of an interesting & unexpected dynamic, and they found a way to work that into the story in a legitimate way that brings things full circle & makes sense. It’s fair to say that, as a viewer, I didn’t know if I should feel more like cheering for the heroes, who all seem fairly nice, or the villains, who have that real nasty streak that tends to be what drives the rhythm and pulse of all the sports-based movies like “Pickleball.” Will Miles and Earl be able to work out their family issues before they lose it all? Will somebody finally be brave enough to punch that little nutsack heckler, Billy Sinclair (Major Dodge Jr.), in the face as he deserves? And yes…of course…the main task at hand – will the brothers be able to save the clubhouse and keep their father’s legacy alive? Will Hamm get Morshower into the spotlight where he so rightly belongs? I can assure you, you’ll get the answer to the majority of these questions by the time things are all over, but as to whether or not “Pickleball” has a snowball’s chance of making a lasting impact on you…I suppose I think the odds are just stacked so highly against that it’s next to impossible. Watchable films are great for passing the time, but they’re rarely discussed in the same breath as the classics or the movies we’ve seen that challenge convention. While it is definitely fun to create a movie that people can watch together and enjoy, however, I don’t know if the conversation about what we see in those movies would ever last longer than the ten minutes immediately following their conclusion. That’s better than indifference…no doubt about that. I did have fun watching “Pickleball,” and I’m willing to give it three stars out of five, even though I definitely wanted this movie to take a hell of a lot more chances than it did. There’s nothing inherently wrong here, I mean, at all… It’s just that I’ve seen this movie over and over again, using almost every sport you can think of. |
|
|
More To Check Out.
|
