What I’m watching: An OK comedy and a high-flying sports film

June 5, 2023 | Matt Conway

New to Theaters: “About My Father”

Working-class hotel manager Sebastian is preparing to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Ellie. As he embarks on a holiday trip to her affluent family’s homestead, his traditionalist Italian father, Salvo, decides to tag along for a family bonding adventure in the studio comedy “About My Father.”

“About My Father” derives from a routine comedic pipeline. In the vein of stand-up-led vanity projects like “Trainwreck,” “Easter Sunday” and “The King of Staten Island” before it, the film is tailor-made as a big-screen vehicle for surging comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. Molding a project around a dynamic talent is a sturdy recipe for success; it allows the performer to embrace their personable strengths while also exploring the studio space of movie productions.

Maniscalco, who co-wrote the feature along with Austin Earl, is also gifted the opportunity to spotlight silver-screen icon Robert DeNiro in a comedic wheelhouse he is well-accustomed to (“The Intern,” “Dirty Grandpa” and most notably, the “Meet the Parents” franchise). Unfortunately, despite a sturdy foundation, “About My Father” renders a beige experience that modulates between tolerable hijinks and tired conventions.

“About My Father” feels like “Meet the Parents ... Again” in nearly every sense. Maniscalo and Earl repurpose the “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” formula without much creative vigor, sticking to the basics and lacking a distinctive voice throughout their creative process. As a result, audiences are forced to sift through a gamut of fatigued sequences, whether it’s an onslaught of supposedly wacky hijinks or the peculiar quirks personifying the ensemble cast. Ellie and the members of her elitist family suffer the most from the screenplay’s laziness. Each of these characters embodies one or two goofy traits, all of which dial up their personalities into becoming irritating caricatures instead of actual people.

The one potentially intriguing thoughtline in “About My Father” is the occasional ruminations on Italian-American culture. Reflecting on his journey growing up under a stringent immigrant father chasing the American Dream represents an enlightening creative source for Maniscalo, and there are moments where these observations connect in humorous and heartfelt ways. The performances from Maniscalco and DeNiro are particularly impactful in these confines. They share a warm, lived-in rapport, with Maniscalco’s vibrant energy and DeNiro’s gruff charisma creating a compatible comedic relationship as father and son. The duo’s tight-knit bond is appealing enough to leave audiences wishing it was featured in a far more inspired feature.

Instead of focusing on this resonant familial spark, “About My Father” quickly makes it an afterthought. The film far too often reduces its set-up into sitcom shenanigans, favoring empty busyness over developing ideas with sincerity. Laura Terruso’s conventional direction does not provide any favors to the flatlining material. The overly-lit, artistically-vacant imagery is akin to an ABC pilot that was quickly ditched in favor of more inspired programming. To her credit, Terruso does showcase an admirable command of pacing and tone throughout the painless 89-minute runtime, although these traits can’t camouflage the film’s cookie-cutter formula.

“About My Father” is as milquetoast as it gets. The film is an occasionally pleasant yet largely forgettable comedy that seems destined for streaming viewings by audiences half-heartedly paying attention.

Also on Streaming: “Hustle”

Down-on-his-luck NBA scout Stanley Sugerman and an overlooked prospect Bo Cruz work to conquer the odds stacked against them in “Hustle.” Readers of my past work already know I am a huge fan of sports and its different interpretations in media. The intense passions and unrelenting commitment featured in athletics often intersect with life’s unique challenges, with sports movies offering a fitting canvas for both facets to receive exploration.

Regrettably for me, sports film seems to be a decaying subgenre. Sports movies once populated multiplexes with winning crowd-pleasers (“Field of Dreams”) and analytical deep-dives (“Any Given Sunday”). Today, fewer studios in the modern Hollywood ecosystem seem interested in greenlighting sports narratives. The features that eventually reach audiences offer few variations from the formula’s core tenants (2021’s “National Champions” and “American Underdog” are some of the few to crack the tricky code).

The subgenre’s downward trend is part of what makes “Hustle” a much-needed breath of fresh air. Combining crowd-pleasing formula with a knowledgeable descent into basketball culture, “Hustle” scores a winning balance act.

Some films feature their sport without a genuine understanding of its appeals. Fortunately, every aspect of “Hustle” feels ingrained in the textures of basketball’s grit and grind experience. Director Jeremiah Zagar is one of the few craftsmen to reflect the sport’s electric energy onscreen, utilizing a flurry of dynamic movements and intimate framing choices to capture the fast-paced action onscreen.

Every soaring dunk and swishing three-pointer lands with the thrilling exuberance it should. Zagar and cinematographer Zak Mulligan deserve props for heightening basketball energy into a captivating display of athletic theater, including their use of long takes to display the daunting walk down the tunnel before a big game.

“Hustle” understands the sport’s macro culture through its different lenses. Stanley and Bo each endure a daily grind to elevate into the pantheon of NBA stardom, ultimately motivated by their undying love of hoops in every step of their journey. Screenwriters Will Fetters and Taylor Materne wisely focus on the grueling day-to-day process over a highlight reel of high-flying moments, showcasing more of the grueling process rather than the enthralling final product on display in pro basketball.

While the duo utilizes familiar devices, like training montages and affectionate speeches, each operates as intelligently extensions of the sport’s time-honored facets. Fetters and Materne thankfully put enough effort into elevating the tried and true trademarks into their own distinct exploration of the athletic experience. Even when the material treads familiar territory, “Hustle” does so with grace and genuine understanding of its subjects. I also applaud both writers for occasionally sinking their teeth into NBA culture, whether it be the overbearing spotlight of media scrutiny or the corrupt culture of nepotism-driven ownership groups.

A skilled cast also elevates the final product. Adam Sandler’s deft abilities as a dramatic actor are on display in full force as Stanley. Embodying the caring intimacy and intense energy behind a man whose life is devoted to basketball, Sandler delivers a textured performance that still displays the actor’s affable charisma. NBA player Juancho Hernangomez makes an impressive acting debut as a basketball prospect fighting to make a better life for his family, while Queen Latifah, Ben Foster and NBA star Anthony Edwards make strong impressions in familiar roles (Edwards is a menace in the best possible sense as a trash-talking hooper).

“Hustle” throws down an emphatic slam dunk for the sports movie subgenre. The film serves as a prime example of what can be accomplished when creative teams tread familiar water with inspired deviations.

“Hustle” is available on Netflix.

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