Netflix's Hustle Starring Adam Sandler Is Certifed Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes

By Kofi Outlaw

Adam Sandler's new Netflix movie Hustle is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Hustle follows the story of  a disgraced pro basketball scout (Sandler) who takes a long shot on an unlikely prospect: "After being fired, pro basketball scout, Stanley Beren, is excited, for the first time in a very long while, when he serendipitously discovers Spanish amateur baller, Bo Cruz, playing in a park outside Madrid. Fueled with new-found purpose, Stanley makes it his mission to groom Bo for the NBA as he believes they both can make it.

Time Magazine says that "Hustle works its smooth moves scene after scene and ends with a satisfying whoosh, something like the sound of a ball sweeping through the net after circling the hoop for a suspenseful second or two."

CNN likes Hustle – even if it is derivative: "Hustle doesn't score any points for originality, unless you've somehow missed all those sports movies about scouts or coaches finding astonishing talent in unlikely locales. Yet Adam Sandler's latest Netflix film -- produced with, among others, LeBron James -- mostly works in following that familiar playbook, peppering its NBA-level action with several rosters worth of basketball cameos."

THR says that Hustle is yet another showcase of Adam Sandler's acting prowess: "This is clearly Sandler's film, and he makes Stanley a mensch, even when he's screaming into the phone about what he's owed after the 30 years he's given the League. The performance is elevated by the actor's love of basketball, which explains the welcome lack of showboating as he tones down his signature comic tics and puts them into the service of character and story, not of a star turn. He makes Hustle sweet and satisfying."

adam-sandler-hustle-movie-2022-rotten-tomatoes-score.jpg

Variety sums it up by saying Hustle is just good streaming entertainment: 

"Hustle" has its own squarely satisfying and, at moments, enthralling texture. There's plenty of basketball, but there is no big game and, in fact, no team-vs.-team game – it's all workouts and tryouts and the showcase basketball decathlon known as the NBA Draft Combine, which the director, Jeremiah Zagar, shoots with invigorating verve and skill. "Hustle" doesn't rewrite any rules, but the film's wholesome seduction is that you believe what you're seeing – in part because of the presence of players from the aging legend Dr. J to Trae Young to Kyle Lowry and several dozen more. But also because Sandler plays Stanley with an inner sadness, a blend of weariness and resilience, and a stubborn faith in the game that leaves you moved, stoked, and utterly convinced.

Trending Now: