'The Dink' review: Apple's pickleball movie is a laugh-out-loud crowd-pleaser

With the rise in popularity of pickleball, a "pickleball movie" was inevitable. But I'm frankly relieved that The Dink is in the hands of director Josh Greenbaum. He's the helmer of the brilliant buddy comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar and the buddy documentary Will & Harper. Not only are both of these movies top-tier when it comes to feel-good films, but each centers on older women without making them the butt of any jokes about aging. Instead, both celebrate their heroines for their brightness, humor, horniness, and brave honesty. And The Dink follows in their footsteps, while being a bit more mainstream. The Dink brings together Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Patton Oswalt, and Aaron Chen for a buddy comedy that's laugh-out-loud hilarious and terrifically heartwarming. But of course, it begins with the fiery rivalry between tennis players and pickleballers. Jake Johnson stars as lovable loser Dusty Boyd, who'll tell anyone who'll listen about his brush with long-passed glory. As a child, Dusty was a tennis prodigy, coached by his father Chuck (a comically mirthless Ed Harris) to be the next hard-hitting legend. But after a disastrous match against Andy Roddick

Jul 21, 2026 → Jul 21, 2026