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LOS ANGELES, June 2 (UPI) -- Adam Sandler has made sports movies before, but Hustle, in theaters Friday, is less comedic than Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy or even The Longest Yard. Hustle is an exciting entry in Sandler's more dramatic films, albeit a tad lighter than Uncut Gems. Stanley Sugerman (Sandler) is a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. He wants to be a coach, so he can stay home with his wife, Teresa (Queen Latifah), and daughter Alex (Jordan Hull).
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When team owner Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall) dies, his son, Vince (Ben Foster), takes over and needs Stanley more as a scout than a coach. When Stanley's scouting trip to Spain is sidelined by the player's injury, he discovers Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez) playing street ball.
Stanley bets his future on bringing Bo to play for the 76ers. When Vince isn't interested, Stanley trains Bo for the NBA Draft Combine to hopefully sign with another team.
Hustle is a reverse of the Kevin Bacon basketball movie, The Air Up There, in which Bacon played a college scout trying to convince an African player to play college ball. Instead of the scout in a strange land, Bo comes to Philadelphia, where he's the fish out of water.
Not that many viewers in 2022 will be comparing Hustle to 1994's The Air Up There, but it's a compliment. That was an uplifting sports movie, and so is Hustle.
The characters in Hustle talk sports convincingly. Stanley analyzes the performances on the court and discusses the business of trades with an agent.
The basketball scenes are exciting, both on the street and in the arena. Bo is impressive, but he's not a superhero. He's at a disadvantage against American players and their customs, but that's what coaching and training montages are for.
In addition to the Rocky-worthy training scenes, Stanley teaches Bo about the mental game. Opponents psyche him out, so Stanley teaches Bo to ignore their trash talk.
That's good advice outside of sports, too. If someone is trying to sabotage you, the best thing you can do is not let them stop you from achieving your goals.
Technically, Hustle is not a comedy, but Sandler still brings comic charisma to coaching. Sandler has proven adept at drama many times, though fans of Uncut Gems may feel relieved that Stanley is not quite as desperate.
The stakes are high in Hustle, but not to the point of anxiety attacks. It's a lighter touch than other dramas.
Sandler and producer LeBron James are popular enough to get a slew of cameos from NBA stars. Some play themselves and others play fictional characters, convincingly at that.
As a sports movie, Hustle doesn't stray too far from the underdog formula, either. It's about Bo proving himself in the NBA and Stanley proving himself in the business.
As progressive as it is for Latifah to play Sandler's wife, she doesn't get much to do beyond support him or raise concern over his endeavor.
But, Hustle knows you're here for the basketball, and it scores. Hustle is a rousing drama that captures the intensity of the game played at the highest levels. Even if you're not a sports fan, that makes for good cinema.
Hustle comes to Netflix on June 8.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001 and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
