Updated
Updated · Mashable · Jul 21
Apple's 'The Dink' Wins Strong Review Ahead of July 24 Premiere as Pickleball Comedy Lands Laughs
Updated
Updated · Mashable · Jul 21

Apple's 'The Dink' Wins Strong Review Ahead of July 24 Premiere as Pickleball Comedy Lands Laughs

3 articles · Updated · Mashable · Jul 21

Summary

  • July 24 release "The Dink" drew a notably upbeat review, with Mashable calling Apple’s pickleball comedy a laugh-out-loud, heartwarming crowd-pleaser rather than a joke at the sport’s expense.
  • Josh Greenbaum’s film follows Jake Johnson’s washed-up tennis prodigy into a court battle with pickleballers, then pivots into a warmer story about reinvention through his bond with Mary Steenburgen’s Candace.
  • Ed Harris, Patton Oswalt, Aaron Chen and cameo players including Andy Roddick and John McEnroe were singled out for broad, offbeat comedy, with Harris’ dead-serious father performance highlighted as a standout.
  • The positive take contrasts with other same-day notices that called the PG-13 movie formulaic, leaving Apple’s sports comedy heading into its debut with mixed but attention-grabbing early reviews.

Insights

With so much comedic talent involved, why was a film about the world's fastest-growing sport described as 'largely vanilla and formulaic'?
Is the on-screen tennis vs. pickleball rivalry just a movie plot, or does it signal a real power shift in sports culture?