Trouble With the CurveMovie Reviews

So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 58 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy

    Eastwood is vastly entertaining as an old-fashioned scout who disdains computers and fancy statistical charts in favor of his own time-tested instincts. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Eastwood and Adams are just so much damn fun to watch. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    The script is by first-timer Randy Brown, but it feels as if it were spit out by one of the assistant GM's computers, so regular are its beats and revelations. Read full review

  • 63
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    The good news is that this daddy/daughter reconciliation story connects with the ball. The not-so-good: It's a blooper. Read full review

  • 60
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    Trouble With the Curve is easily digestible in chunks – if it were a CBS show, it'd be called "Postseason With Morrie" - and it has an affectionate view of grubby motels, greasy diners and small-town scoreboards. Read full review

  • 60
    Movieline |

    Trouble With The Curve is an ode to the old ways of doing things, both in terms of acting and baseball. Read full review

  • 50
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Trouble With the Curve finally finds its zone when Gus and Mickey find the young baseball prodigy they've been looking for. That doesn't happen until the narrative's last inning, though, too late to save the movie. I'd call it "Neanderthalball." Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    Trouble With the Curve has a problem tipping its pitches. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Its title notwithstanding, there's nothing that remotely approaches a narrative curve ball in this tired saga of an aging baseball scout. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Even those who don't know a foul tip from a chicken wing will be able to spot the desperate plays. Read full review

View more reviews for Trouble With the Curve on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Teen-friendly baseball drama raises father-daughter issues.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Trouble with the Curve -- a carefully rendered portrait of a baseball scout (Clint Eastwood) facing the possible end of his career -- pulls no punches in portraying what life on the road can do to a father and his daughter. Expect some intense conversation about past disappointments and tragedies, as well as lots of beer drinking, some profanity (including one "f--k," "s--t," and "bitch"), kissing/flirting, and one intense fight. Teen baseball fans may enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at talent scouting, but the themes are likely to resonate most with adults.
  • Families can talk about how the movie presents the central father-daughter relationship. Is it realistic? Understandable? How do Gus and Mickey compare to other movie fathers and daughters?
  • Is Gus a good father? What is the movie saying about fatherhood (and/or parenthood in general)?
  • Baseball movies often seem rife with life lessons. Why do you think that is? Do you have to be a baseball fan to enjoy a movie about it?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: Several worthwhile messages. For example: You can rely all you want on gadgets and technology, but nothing can replace wisdom acquired with experience and acumen. Also, parent-child relationships can be a minefield of disappointments and triumphs, but forgiveness and communication can help you create a new bond in adulthood. Also, find work you love, and passion will always be a part of your work.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Gus is crotchety and difficult, but he's dedicated to his craft and loves his daughter fiercely, even if he doesn't often show it in ways she can decipher. Mickey can be withholding and impatient, but she's also smart and successful, and she perseveres and rises above her resentments when her father's welfare is on the line. While she's portrayed as "emotionally unavailable" it's not because she's successful but more because of the abandonment issues she has from her father. Despite their dysfunctional relationship, Gus believes in her and is supportive of her ability to succeed in more "male" pursuits, whether it's becoming a partner in her law firm or becoming a sports agent.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: A man breaks a beer bottle and uses it as a weapon against another patron at a bar; also, earlier in his life, he beat up another man due to a potential assault on a child, strangling him until he passed out.
  • sex false2 Sexy stuff: Kissing and flirting; two adults take a dip in a lake in their skivvies. An early scene goes into detail of the effects of aging on a man's ability to pee.
  • language false3 Language: One "f--k," plus fairly infrequent use of words including "s--t," "ass," "bitch," "crap," "douchebag," "hell," "damn," "crap," "goddamn," "oh my God," "suck," and "piss."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Products/labels shown include Schlitz, Pabst, Budweiser, Spam, Buick, Ford, Jack Daniels, Coca-Cola, Apple, Dell, Toshiba, and more.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Many scenes show adults drinking -- beer, whiskey, tequila -- sometimes to numb their pain. One character smokes a cigar.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Exclusive Features

Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interviews Justin Timberlake talks about working with Amy Adams, Adams on the essence of the movie, Matthew Lillard names the highlight of his acting career and the trio name as many Clint Eastwood movies as they can in thirty seconds.