Trouble with the Curve

This was a pretty good movie, no Moneyball but still enjoyable.
Gus (Clint Eastwood) is a baseball scout for the Braves, but he is getting older and his eyesight is failing. He also has a daughter, Mickey (the always great Amy Adams) who is a successful lawyer. They live separate lives because Mickey believes that is what her father wants. But Gus's old friend and boss, Pete Klein (John Goodman) calls up Mickey and warns her that something is wrong with her father. Though she is also worried, she is reluctant to accompany him on his journey to scout out this kid, Bo Gentry (Joe Massingill), who is the big shot around the baseball world and the attitude to go with it, plus he looks way too old to be a high school student. But, yes, he is a good baseball player and can really hit the ball, but I found him horribly annoying throughout. The kid that caught my attention was the son of the hotel owner, who also sold peanuts at the local ball games. He threw the peanut bag so hard, I knew there had to be more to it. The film would eventually get back to him, but it would take awhile.
Mickey finally joins her father, though she is in the middle of a big case and about to make partnership at her law firm though she has only been there seven years. Her father is not pleased to see her; he wants her to return to her own life. She notices the scratches on his car so she drives, though the next day, she lets her father drive, which is not a good idea as a car hits them, but luckily no one is seriously hurt. along the way to seeing all the games, Johnny Flanagan (Justin Timberlake) arrives. He is a former baseball pitcher who was recruited by Gus, but then he blew his arm out so now he picks players for the Boston Red Sox.  Needless to say, sparks fly between Mickey and Johnny, though Mickey is still very much dedicated to her job.
Long story short, it turns out that Gentry can't hit a curve ball. All Gus needs to do is hear how the ball came off his bat. Gus advices the Braves not to sign him, but he is overruled by the new hotshot scout, Phil Sanderson (Matthew Lillard) who deals with computers. They sign him. The Red Sox don't because Gus told Johnny that he would not work out. Thus Johnny loses his job and is furious with both Gus and Mickey. So much for their budding relationship, which had only just begun. Then, after another confrontation between Gus and Mickey where he finally reveals to her the reason why he sent her away after her mother died was because he lost her and found her being hit on by a man in the horse barn near the ball park. She said being spent away, twice, first to her aunt and uncle's and then later to boarding school, made her feel rejected. Gus leaves and while Mickey is packing, she hears this weird pounding sound coming from outside. She investigates and finds  the peanut kid pitching the baseball to his younger brother. She approaches said kid, whose name is Rigo Sanchez (Jay Galloway) and watches him pitch. Despite not being able to play baseball for school as his grades aren't good enough for his mother, Mickey likes what she sees as Rigo can even throw different types of pitches. She begs Pete to try him out which Pete reluctantly agrees to. The big moment has arrived. Rigo pitches flawlessly and finally the big man on campus is shutdown. Phil is out of a job while Gus can stay on longer though he is aging severely. Mickey is offered the partnership because the other guy being considered choked when his time finally came up. Johnny even shows back up and the film ends with Johnny and Mickey kissing and Gus walking away calmly, saying his has to take the bus.
Overall, the film is flawed. The bad guy is too bad. The arrogant kid is too out of touch with everyone else, not caring about his other teammates, when baseball is a team sport after all. Rigo is so polite and normal you root for him from the very beginning, though I doubt someone with no experience whatsoever could pitch that well. The love scene in a local watering hole between Mickey and Johnny is just an excuse for Justin Timberlake to take his shirt off. Yet the film is enjoyable. No, there is very little depth to the film and probably should have been released during the summer not closer toward Oscar season, but yes, it was good and enjoyable but it handles the sport too lightly for my taste. Luckily, Eastwood, Adams and Timberlake redeem the fairly simple and predictable plot. Grade: B+