Trouble with the Curve

Academy Award® winner Clint Eastwood comes out of semi-retirement to perform in Trouble with the Curve, the first movie he does not direct since In the Line of Fire (1993). Life transitions are at the center of director Robert Lorenz' feature debut with an all star cast, based on a screenplay by Randy Brown.

In the principal role, Eastwood portrays Gus Lobel, a grouchy, veteran baseball scout on the brink of losing his job. 

While on a North Carolina scouting trip, Gus attempts to prove his worth to Phillip Sanderson, the Atlanta Braves' associate director of scouting (Matthew Lillard) and Gus' old friend and boss, Pete Klein (John Goodman). In the meantime, rival Boston Red Sox scout Johnny Flanagan (Justin Timberlake) finds a love interest in Mickey (Oscar® nominee Amy Adams), Gus' daughter.

Good performances portrayed with some humor mark the feature. Especially well played out is the strained father-daughter relationship where Eastwood's effortless and Adams' solid performance stand out. The Social Network actor and former 'N Sync singer, Timberlake, brings on-screen energy to the baseball drama.

Though somewhat predictable and slow paced, this cinematic experience is well delivered, enjoyable, and uplifting.