The Dink is one of those films that Hollywood moved away from. It doesn’t try to reinvent sports comedies or surprise you with clever twists. Instead, it leans into a familiar formula and trusts its cast to make the ride enjoyable. Released on Apple TV+ on July 24, The Dink stars Jake Johnson as a former tennis player whose career never became what everyone expected. When his father’s struggling country club needs saving, he reluctantly enters the world of professional pickleball. It sounds like a joke on paper. The movie knows that, and that’s part of its charm.
Jake Johnson has built a career playing ordinary guys who rarely have everything figured out. That quality matches this character perfectly. He never treats the role like he’s above the material, and because of that, the comedy feels natural instead of forced. His dry delivery often lands better than the script’s bigger punchlines.
The supporting cast too adds plenty of personality. Ed Harris and Mary Steenburgen bring warmth to the family dynamic, while Ben Stiller pops up in a role that knows exactly how ridiculous the world of competitive pickleball can be. Tennis fans will also enjoy seeing John McEnroe and Andy Roddick playing exaggerated versions of themselves. Their appearances never overstay their welcome and provide some of the film’s funniest moments.
However, The Dink isn’t really about pickleball. The sport gives the movie its setting, but the story is more interested in second chances, family relationships, and rediscovering confidence after failure. That makes it feel closer to Happy Gilmore or Kingpin than a niche sports comedy built around one joke. It is also the reason the movie works better than its trailers suggest. The marketing leans heavily on pickleball being the punchline, hoping to ride the pickleball bandwagon. The film, however, quickly moves beyond that. Even if you’ve never picked up a paddle, it’s easy to follow because the emotional stakes come from the characters rather than the competition.
The comedy, unfortunately, isn’t consistently sharp. Some jokes are predictable, and the underdog sports formula unfolds almost exactly as you’d expect. If you’re hoping for something that completely flips the genre on its head, you’ll probably find it too safe. The script occasionally settles for easy laughs when it could have pushed its characters a little further.
Still, there’s something refreshing about watching a movie that isn’t trying to launch a franchise or set up sequels. It tells a simple story in under two hours, introduces likable characters, delivers a few genuine laughs, and wraps everything up without unnecessary complications.
That relaxed approach may explain why early audience reactions have been more positive than expected. Many viewers have compared it to the kind of mid-budget studio comedies that filled theaters in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Those films weren’t always groundbreaking, but they were easy to recommend because they knew exactly what they wanted to be. The Dink carries that same energy.
It won’t become a sports comedy classic alongside Happy Gilmore or Dodgeball. It doesn’t have enough memorable moments for that. Its biggest strength is that it never tries to be more important than it is. It’s a funny, relaxed, and genuinely likable movie that understands sometimes a familiar formula is enough.
If you’ve been missing the era of character-driven studio comedies, The Dink is an easy recommendation. It may be built around pickleball, but what you’ll probably remember most is how comfortable it feels from beginning to end.
What to Watch After The Dink
Happy Gilmore (1996) – Adam Sandler’s classic about a failed hockey player who unexpectedly dominates professional golf.
Kingpin (1996) – A washed-up bowling champion mentors an unlikely prodigy in one of the funniest sports comedies ever made.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) – A group of misfits enters a dodgeball tournament to save their local gym.
Champions (2023) – Woody Harrelson coaches a basketball team of players with intellectual disabilities in a heartfelt sports comedy.
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) – An optimistic American football coach takes charge of an English soccer club despite knowing almost nothing about the sport.