The Dink
- Sacha L. Roy
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
What happens when a former tennis prodigy is forced to pick up the new sport trend he always mocked: pickleball? That’s the premise behind The Dink, a comedy about redemption, friendship, and the ultimate battle between tennis and pickleball.
RECAP
Dustin Boyd is a former junior tennis prodigy who won everything on his way up and was trained by his father, Chuck. Chuck accepted nothing less than victory and taught his son to do the same.
However, in his very first professional tournament, Dustin faced his first real challenge: Andy Roddick. He was simply no match for Andy's powerful game. During the match, Dustin ran off to the locker room, where he broke his own wrist, bringing his promising tennis career to an abrupt end.
Years later, Dustin is now a tennis instructor at his father's club, still working hard, but failing to earn Chuck's respect.
Things aren't going smoothly at the club either. Pickleball is rapidly growing in popularity, and there's a push to convert more tennis courts into pickleball courts. The pickleball committee is looking to pass a motion to add two more pickleball courts, and they appear to have enough votes to make it happen.
Fortunately for the tennis players, Chuck discovers an obscure rule in the club's charter stating that disputes can be settled through a duel. His plan is simple : If the tennis side wins, the club's current court setup remains unchanged.
Rather than simply choosing Dustin to represent the tennis players, Chuck insists that the winner of the club's annual tennis tournament will earn the right to compete in the duel. To him, his son Dustin simply isn’t a winner.
As expected, Dustin cruises through the tournament. But after winning the final, he tries to showboat - for the traditional handshake, Dustin attempts to jump over the net, trips, and injures his wrist. As a result, the runner up, Neil is chosen to represent the tennis side in the duel.
At the doctor's office, Dustin learns that his wrist isn't broken, but he still needs to take it easy. The doctor even recommends taking up pickleball as a low-impact way to aid his recovery.
Although Dustin has always dismissed pickleball as a joke rather than a real sport, he reluctantly follows the doctor's advice and signs up for a pickleball clinic. There, he meets his doubles partner, Candace, as well as their friendly opponents, Gail and Judy.
Despite their age difference, Dustin and Candace quickly become best friends, opening up to one another and helping each other overcome their personal struggles.
Everything changes when Neil dies in a freak accident. With no other option, Chuck reluctantly agrees to let Dustin represent the tennis players in the duel. However, Dustin soon discovers that the decision wasn't even his father's choice.
Feeling betrayed once again, he shocks everyone by switching sides and deciding to represent the pickleball team instead.
It is to Chuck's relief, as he had already prepared a backup plan by secretly paying Andy Roddick to represent the tennis players. On the day of the duel, Dustin wins the coin toss. And Using yet another loophole in the club charter, instead of choosing a side of the court as expected, he chooses to play on a whole other court… the pickleball court, forcing Andy to compete on Dustin's new home turf.
As for what happens next... I'll leave that for you to discover.
Strength
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The biggest strength of The Dink is that it knows exactly what type of movie it wants to be and it doesn’t take itself too seriously - and that makes it an easy and enjoyable watch. The movie fully embraces the ridiculous rivalry between tennis and pickleball while still keeping the story grounded with relatable characters.
I also really like that the movie isn’t entirely centered around Dustin. While his journey is the main storyline, Candace has her own character arc and personal growth. Their unlikely friendship is actually the heart of the movie, and seeing these two characters from completely different generations help each other grow was one of the most enjoyable parts.
The movie also benefits from its supporting cast. The appearances of Andy Roddick and John McEnroe are a fun addition, bringing extra entertainment value.
Weakness
When it comes to the story, The Dink does follow many of the familiar sports comedy formulas. We get the former prodigy looking for redemption, leading to the ultimate showdown where everything is on the line. It’s nothing new. The movie does add its own twist with the tennis versus pickleball rivalry, but it probably won’t be remembered as a future cult classic.
I also won’t spend too much time criticizing the realism of the tennis and pickleball sequences. Like most sports comedies, you have to give the movie some creative freedom and accept that entertainment comes before perfect accuracy.
When it comes to the humour, The Dink definitely has some funny moments, especially when playing with the rivalry between tennis and pickleball. However, the comedy can be inconsistent, with some jokes falling flat. The biggest example is the repeated use of the sexual humour involving Ben Stiller’s doctor character, which eventually becomes more uncomfortable than funny.
Acting
Jake Johnson isn’t an actor I usually gravitate toward, but I have to give him credit: he does a great job anchoring the movie. Dustin could easily have been an unlikeable character at the beginning, but Johnson does a good job showing both his arrogance and his vulnerability, making his journey believable.
That said, he doesn’t carry the movie alone. The supporting cast is a big reason why The Dink works, and it’s led by Mary Steenburgen, who brings a lot of charm and heart to Candace. Her chemistry with Johnson is one of the highlights of the film, and their unlikely friendship feels genuine throughout the story.
Final Verdict
Overall, The Dink is an entertaining and enjoyable sports comedy. While its comedic value doesn't reach the cult level like Happy Gilmore, it still has plenty of funny moments and benefits from its charming characters and strong cast chemistry.
It may not become a classic in the genre, but it delivers exactly what it sets out to do: provide an easy and fun watch. Definitely give it a try.
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