The Dink (2026) ****

 

In case you haven't noticed, the sport of pickleball has become wildly popular, especially among the older set. It's sort of a cross between tennis and ping pong. Despite the dumb name, it's hella fun, and it was about time the sport got its own movie.

Jake Johnson plays Dustin Boyd, a washed up tennis pro teaching lessons and rehashing his glory days. The racquet club where he works happens to be owned by his overbearing father, Chuck (Ed Harris), and the pickleballers at the club are a growing group who are asking for more courts. Chuck, Dustin, and the rest of the tennis old-guard at the club look down their noses at pickleball, and they aren't interested in giving up any space for pickleball courts. Chuck invokes an obscure club rule that allows him to ignore a vote of the members and have any issue decided by a tennis match. Vying for the chance to represent the tennis side of the duel, Dustin injures his wrist. His doctor (Ben Stiller) recommends pickleball to aid in his recovery, so Dustin winds up having to learn the sport he despises.

Much like pickleball itself, “The Dink” doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's a ton of fun. It's a sign of the changing industry that a movie with such a great cast would go straight to streaming ... on Apple TV. If this is the kind of movie that they are capable of producing, this “Apple” company might be one to keep an eye on!

4 stars out of 5

The Drama (2026) ****

 

“What is the worst thing you have ever done?” The question is a conversational gambit that seems engaging and daring, but carries a high degree of risk. When Emma (Zendaya) and her fiance Charlie (Robert Pattinson) get goaded into answering the question by their friends (Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie), Emma reveals something more outre than anyone was expecting. Her secret shocks her friends and makes Charlie question their relationship, just days before their wedding.

Written and directed by Norwegian auteur Kristoffer Borgli, “The Drama” is funny, entertaining, dark, and transgressive. I was particularly impressed by the way he plays with time and reality, jumping back and forth between days and eras and between fantasy and reality. You have to stay on your toes to watch this film!

I tend to be skeptical of single-name actors, but Zendaya has won me over, first in "Challengers" and now here. Borgli uses her and Jordyn Curet, who plays the teen Emma, to explore the paradox that Emma is no longer that lonely, alienated young girl, but there is still a through-line connecting the two identities. She both is and isn't that person. Emma still carries within herself that scared child, looking for love, but she should not be defined by her worst day.

Meanwhile Robert Pattinson continues to build his reputation as an actor who likes to subvert his handsomeness by taking on challenging, quirky, even confounding roles. Here he brilliantly portrays Charlie, spiraling out of control as he wrestles with his doubts.

Borgli demonstrates tremendous boldness in going places most filmmakers would not, but in the end his film is not about Emma's big secret. It is about judgment and acceptance, about living with who you are and who you were. It's about the messiness of relationships, where you have to ultimately be vulnerable and accept your partner's vulnerability. It's about whether love is worth the drama.

4 stars out of 5

Normal (2025) ***

 

It's nice to watch a movie that isn't trying too hard.

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”) is working as interim sheriff in the small, Minnesota town of Normal. It is meant to be a quiet, easy few weeks, but a botched bank robbery reveals that Normal is corrupt and rotten to its core. Sheriff Ulysses winds up taking on the whole town and a bunch of Japanese gangsters just to survive.

Odenkirk gets help from a solid supporting cast including Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, and Billy MacLellan. The film is written by Derek Kolstad (the “Nobody” and “John Wick” films) with assistance from Odenkirk. It's a silly story, but overall a pretty fun, dark, action-comedy. It is only an hour and a half long, so you can enjoy it as the light entertainment that it is.

3 stars out of 5