《曲线难题》

    Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) may just be the best scout that baseball’s ever seen. He can tell whether a pitcher* is golden by the sound that the ball makes when it hits a glove. He can tell whether a hitter* is worth a contract by how his arm looks at rest.

    Lobel has worked for the Atlanta Braves for decades, but in life — especially in fatherhood — his performance is average*. His lawyer daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), can’t climb over the wall between them, even though each has been all the other has had since Lobel’s wife died when Mickey was just 6.

    Meanwhile, the business of baseball is changing, and the Braves’ management is under pressure to cave* to the “modern” way of assessing picks: via computers and statistics*. And it definitely doesn’t help that Lobel’s eyes might be failing. Is this his last strike?

    The best baseball movies mimic* the poetry and thoughtfulness of the game, mixing the thrill of a strike with the languor* of waiting for the bases to be loaded.

    “Trouble With the Curve” hits these marks and then some, exploring not just the game, but also a father-daughter relationship that deserves mending*.

    Eastwood is pitch-perfect as a bad-tempered sage*, but it’s Adams who surprisingly, mightily stands up to the icon, mixing grit* and vulnerability* like a champion. Justin Timberlake shows up in a supporting role as a romantic interest. (SD-Agencies)