The Dink Review: Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen Make Their Shots Count

It’s good to defy and exceed everyone’s expectations, but stepping out of your comfort zone is the hardest part. That’s what Apple TV’s The Dink presents: a “reset” for a prodigy to give him a chance to grow. We’re familiar with this story, but something about the film’s main friendship makes you feel warm.

On the surface, The Dink may be another sports redemption story, which Apple TV isn’t unfamiliar with given Stick. Dusty’s struggle to live up to his dissatisfied father’s hopes to be a great tennis player lays the groundwork for this interesting story about denial.

However, at its core, director Josh Greenbaum does his best to maintain an uplifting, lighthearted tone throughout. As such, the result leads to a soft, low-stakes comedy that hits all the familiar pacing beats. Yet, in its nearly two-hour runtime, it manages to satisfy. 

Initially, you might believe Jake Johnson’s Dusty Boyd is an arrogant, if needy, rumiator who’s in denial about his own failures as a prodigy. His internal doubts make him snarky, but when he starts to unfold, you’re better able to empathize with him.

The flashbacks to Dusty’s past, and the event that led him to where he is in the present, almost do a good job gaslighting you to believe him. Taking the “flash” of the device quite literally, these little moments of exposition might slightly trick you.

Dusty’s denial of his failures reflects in his interactions with others, leading to a mix of comedic, wholesome, and sad character moments. The way that Greenbaum and writer Sean Clements balance the tone in each scene results in varying effects.

For example, there’s a dinner scene where Dusty tries to confront his dad Chuck, which causes their guests to comedically move out one-by-one. While there’s some intensity within this space, it’s somewhat too short to make that moment really hit home.

Fortunately, there are other moments between Dusty and Candace that do work. Their friendship faces all the ups and downs, but the film takes its time to let the viewer also recognize that.

The way that Dusty and Candace’s friendship builds up certainly has its questionable moments. Even though Candace sees their friendship as platonic, Dusty looks to want someting more. That might be because of how Dusty just seeks to connect and not just have his “yes-man” PJ by his side. 

That said, Johnson and Steenburgen do a solid job making that friendship feel awkwardly real. Unlike Dusty, Candace is more grounded in the moment: satisfied with herself, but she still wants Dusty to understand her own perspective. She’s also got a Southern charm, which rubs off on Dusty quite nicely.

However, Candace also has her own problems to confront. Due to a divorce that felt one-sided, it’s left her without much as her ex was a childish mess. The Dink utilizes some time to explore this, tying back to her friendship with Dusty, but feels narratively contained.

Although Dusty hates playing pickleball because of how Chuck raised him, his eventual turnaround is just a joy to watch. As Dusty and Candace face different opponents, whether it be two senior friends or the “grunters”, the physical scenes add to The Dink‘s comedic factor quite nicely.

When the film does finally recognize how unusual Dusty’s attitude to Candace, it feels satisfying to watch. It was honestly awkward to not acknowledge that, given the slightly intimate moments the duo have together. Not only does it serve as a good breaking point, but also allows that platonic readjustment to work.

The rest of The Dink‘s comedy also works in maintaining that overall tone. Specifically, there are a few characters that stand out, like Ben Stiller’s Dr. Stone, who desperately wants Dusty to join the dating app he’s on. There’s also Patton Oswalt’s enigmatic Skip, who promotes pickleball in his own over-the-top ways.

The general humor of The Dink is mostly contained within the dialogue, resulting in some funny misunderstandings and talkbacks thanks to Clements’ writing. From the constant trash talking on the court to one-offs like Andy Roddick’s nonchalantness about what happened in the past, the vocal comedy mostly lands.

Most of the dialogue-centric humor comes from Dusty and Candace’s interactions with each other. The best example happens when Dusty admits he’s not a fan of country music, resulting in an unexpected slap or two. Little character-building moments like these do work in making this film an entertaining watch.

As for The Dink‘s story, it doesn’t really do much to change the tropes within this genre. It’s a generally “feel-good” underdog tale about redemption, overcoming doubt, and coming to terms all while finding connection. The denial aspect of the film could have been further expanded upon, but it does feel like the tone The Dink uses limits what could be explored.

The Dink is an entertaining comedy thanks to Johnson and Steenburgen’s charming friendship and a mix of unexpected and satisfying character-building moments. Although its story might hit familiar “underdog story” beats, it continually keeps the ball rolling to get you smiling.

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The Dink premieres on Friday, July 24, on Apple TV.

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