Hustle (2022 film)

Hustle
Release poster
Directed by	Jeremiah Zagar
Written by	Taylor Materne Will Fetters
Produced by	LeBron James Maverick Carter Joe Roth Joseph Vecsey Jeff Kirschenbaum Zack Roth Adam Sandler Allen Covert
Starring	Adam Sandler Queen Latifah Ben Foster Juancho Hernangómez Robert Duvall Anthony Edwards
Cinematography	Zak Mulligan
Edited by	Tom Costain Brian Robinson Keiko Deguchi
Music by	Dan Deacon
Production companies	Happy Madison Productions SpringHill Company Roth/Kirschenbaum Films
Distributed by	Netflix
Release date	June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
Running time	117 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Hustle is a 2022 American sports comedy-drama film^[1] directed by Jeremiah Zagar, from a screenplay by Taylor Materne and Will Fetters. The film stars Adam Sandler as an NBA scout who discovers a raw but talented player in Spain (Juancho Hernangómez) and tries to prepare him for the NBA draft. Current Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards plays the main antagonist, Kermit Wilts. Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, Robert Duvall, and Heidi Gardner also star, while LeBron James acts as producer through his SpringHill Company banner.

Hustle was released by Netflix on June 3, 2022. It premiered to critical acclaim, with Sandler's performance receiving praise and some of the best reviews of his career to date.^[2][3]

Plot

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Stanley Sugerman is a jaded international scout for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, living life on the road in search of future stars. His frequent travel takes a toll on his wife Teresa and daughter Alex. While he is liked by 76ers owner Rex Merrick, he clashes philosophically with Rex's son Vincent. Rex promotes Stanley to assistant coach which will allow him to remain at home with his family. The same evening, however, Rex passes away, leaving Vince in charge of the team.

Three months later, Vince returns Stanley to his position as scout, sending him overseas to find a new star. Stanley meets with his former college teammate Leon Rich who encourages him to leave the 76ers and join him as a player agent. After Stanley's plan to scout another player in Spain falls through, he finds himself watching a local pick-up game where he is stunned by an unknown player who shows incredible talent.

Stanley attempts to speak with the man, Bo Cruz, but is rebuffed until he makes a Facetime call to Dirk Nowitzki to prove his legitimacy. Bo and his mother Paola recount his life story: he was a talented player from an early age and was invited to play in America at age 15, but stayed in Spain after his girlfriend became pregnant with his daughter Lucia. Bo now works construction and makes extra money hustling at basketball.

After an impressive workout with members of the Spanish national team, Stanley urges the 76ers front office to sign Cruz immediately, but Vincent is unconvinced. Stanley takes matters into his own hands, paying to bring Cruz to the United States and telling Bo that he will be signed by the Sixers or enter the NBA draft. At the airport, Bo is detained for an aggravated assault conviction he received in Spain. He is released, but warned that he could be deported if he were to be arrested in America.

Stanley takes Bo to play at a showcase organized by Leon, which is also attended by the presumptive second overall pick Kermit Wilts. Stanley advises Bo that if he shuts down Wilts, it will significantly raise his stock with the Sixers. During the workout, Cruz shows flashes of talent, but struggles on offense and at guarding Wilts, who trash talks him and throws him off his game.

After Vince tells Stanley he is uninterested in Bo, Stanley quits the 76ers, deciding to put all his effort behind getting Cruz ready for the NBA Draft Combine six weeks away. Stanley tells Bo that his only weakness is his sensitivity, and encourages him to build his mental toughness. Teresa and Alex assist with the training process, preparing meals and taping workouts. Bo improves dramatically through Stanley's coaching, but Leon is unable to get him into the Draft Combine after Vince spreads information about Bo's assault charge.

Bo is furious at Stanley, eventually revealing that the charge stemmed from a fight with Lucia's mother's boyfriend after she tried to claim sole custody of Lucia. Stanley reveals that his injured hand was from a drunk driving accident while he was in college, derailing his basketball team's season and putting him in jail for six months. Their trust renewed, Stanley works tirelessly to get Bo into the combine, without success.

In order to create interest, the Sugermans enlist Julius Erving to create a viral video of "the Boa Challenge", where people, including 76ers player Tobias Harris, attempt to score on Bo for money. Cruz is eventually accepted into the combine, and Stanley brings Lucia and Paola to the United States to support him. Bo impresses in the physical elements of the combine, but must face off with Wilts again in a five-on-five exhibition game. Cruz initially performs well, but becomes upset after Kermit begins talking trash about Bo's daughter and mother. He eventually breaks, pushing Wilts down, and storming out of the workout.

Both Stanley and Bo think their journey is over. At the airport for Bo's flight back to Spain, Leon calls about a private game for players and front office members that Bo and Kermit have both been invited to. Playing without pressure for the first time, Cruz locks down Wilts defensively and demonstrates his offensive abilities. Rex's daughter Kat, who recognizes Stanley's talent, reveals that she is taking over for Vince and rehires Stanley.

Five months later, the 76ers and Boston Celtics tip off for a game against each other with Stanley coaching for the 76ers and Bo playing for the Boston Celtics.

Cast

• Adam Sandler as Stanley Sugerman, a scout and coach for the 76ers
• Queen Latifah as Teresa Sugerman, Stanley Sugerman's wife
• Ben Foster as Vince Merrick, Rex's son and 76ers co-owner
• Juancho Hernangómez as Bo Cruz, Stanley's basketball player recruit from Spain
  • Silas Graham as young Bo Cruz
• Robert Duvall as Rex Merrick, Vince's father and 76ers owner
• Jordan Hull as Alex Sugerman, Stanley's daughter
• Heidi Gardner as Kat Merrick, Rex's daughter
• María Botto as Paola Cruz, Bo's mother
• Ainhoa Pillet as Lucia Cruz, Bo's daughter
• Anthony Edwards as Kermit Wilts, a player and rival to Bo
• Kenny Smith as Leon Rich, a sports agent and Stanley's friend
• Fat Joe as himself
• Jaleel White as Blake

Several current and former NBA players and coaches portray themselves or other characters. Trae Young, Jordan Clarkson, Khris Middleton, Aaron Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Seth Curry, Luka Doncic, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, Aaron McKie, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Brad Stevens, Doc Rivers, Dave Joerger, Mark Jackson, Sergio Scariolo, José Calderón, Leandro Barbosa, Álex Abrines and Maurice Cheeks portray themselves, while Boban Marjanovic plays the "Big Serbian" and Moritz Wagner the German "Haas". Street ball legends Grayson "The Professor" Boucher, Larry "Bone Collector" Williams, and Waliyy "Main Event" Dixon appear.^[4] Felipe Reyes, Piere Oriola and Juancho's brother Willy Hernangómez appear as members of the Spanish national team .

Production

In May 2020, Adam Sandler joined the cast of the film, with Jeremiah Zagar directing from a screenplay by Taylor Materne and Will Fetters, with Netflix set to distribute.^[5] Sandler had seen Zagar's 2018 narrative feature debut We the Animals, and asked him to take a look at the script for Hustle. Zagar was initially hesitant, before becoming intrigued at the idea of shooting basketball in a cinematic way and signing on to the project.^[6]

In September 2020, Queen Latifah announced she had joined the cast of the film.^[7] In October 2020, Robert Duvall, Ben Foster, Juancho Hernangómez, Jordan Hull, María Botto, Ainhoa Pillet, Kenny Smith, and Kyle Lowry joined the cast of the film.^[8][9][10]

Filming began in Philadelphia in October 2020,^[11] and continued at the Coatesville Area High School in Pennsylvania.^[12] Many Philadelphia school, college, and university buildings were filming locations, including Tom Gola Arena at La Salle University, where the combine scene was filmed, and the Liacouras Center at Temple University, where Sandler's character is depicted playing college basketball. Multiple scenes were filmed in Center City Philadelphia, including on Market Street^[13] and the Italian Market,^[14] as well as in Manayunk and South Philadelphia. Additional filming took place in Camden, New Jersey.^[15]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92%, based on 134 reviews with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads, "Hustle doesn't have any fancy moves, but it doesn't need them—Adam Sandler's everyman charm makes this easy layup fun to watch."^[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[17]

References

External links

• Hustle at IMDb