Saturday June 11, 2022
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“At 50 something there are no dreams, there are only nightmares” says Adam Sandler’s character Stan, a longtime recruiter of sports talent for the Philadelphia 76ers. But Stan loses autonomy when the owner of the team dies (a small but crucial involvement of Robert Duvall) and assumes the risk of bringing -anyway- Bo Cruz (basketball player Juancho Hernangómez who belongs to the NBA’s Utah Jazz) , a troubled aspiring Spanish basketball player with a history of violence. Now both must overcome obstacles in order to enter the official competition.
Directed by Jeremiah Zagar and written by Taylor Materne, Claw (Hustle, 2022) is the typical sports movie where values are crucial to achieving the desired success on the field of play. Controlling the anger of the young talent will be Stan’s challenge to get him ahead and show the world that he is still valid as a recruiter. But above all, and as he yearns from the beginning, to become a coach by encouraging and giving advice to the boy, fulfilling the role of tutor and establishing a strong bond with him.
So what does this emotional movie have that all the other self-improvement movies don’t? The dramatic humor that Adam Sandler expresses with his figure, the contribution of the family (all women, either by Stan or Bo Cruz) to contain the protagonists, and the role of social networks to spread, praise events or criminalize situations, a fundamental influence in the world of sport today.
Adam Sandler is one of those actors who is still Adam Sandler no matter what role he plays. But when he steps out of goofy comedies he risks roles that fans of his shun. This is not the case. Here, not a goofy comedy at all, he brings his laugh/cry charisma and demonstrates his producer’s ability to put together a convincing project from every point of view. He calls on a renowned actor like Robert Duvall to lend seriousness to the project and enlists the participation of a number of NBA stars (Kyle Lowry, Kenny Smith, Aaron Gordon) who lend realism and credibility to the game’s fan.
with those hits Claw It is a correct and effective film that manages to move with its classic story and that we connect with the characters and their personal fears, to give the feeling of self-improvement a special plus.
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