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Jul 21, 2026 By George Bate Web Exclusive

Sports comedies have found humor in virtually every sport one can think of. Happy Gilmore was a golf comedy. The Longest Yard was an American football comedy. Next Goal Wins was a soccer (football) comedy. 7 Days in Hell was a tennis comedy. Balls of Fury was a ping-pong comedy. Now, pickleball gets the sports comedy treatment in The Dink, a consistently funny and surprisingly heartfelt new film premiering July 24 on Apple TV.

The Dink follows washed-up former tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), who now spends his time coaching misbehaving kids at his father Chuck’s (Ed Harris) country club. After re-aggravating an old injury, Dusty turns to pickleball to aid in his rehab and, thanks to his new partner, Candace (Mary Steenburgen), finds that he actually enjoys the sport. As Dusty navigates this newfound interest, he is forced to reckon with his past failures as an athlete, face off against his childhood nemesis, Andy Roddick (played by former professional tennis player Andy Roddick), and fight for his father’s affection and his identity as an individual.

The Dink excels in its refusal to treat its lead characters as the punchline of tired, uninspired jokes. A movie centered on pickleball could have easily leaned into mocking the sport and everyone who plays it, but instead it finds genuine heart in Dusty’s journey of self-discovery.

At the center of this journey is Jake Johnson, whose effortlessly likable performance sells Dusty’s insecurities just as convincingly as his comedic frustrations. His relationship with Candace develops naturally, with Mary Steenburgen bringing warmth and charm to a role that could have simply existed to facilitate Dusty’s redemption. Similarly, Dusty’s friendship with PJ provides some of the film’s most sincere moments, reminding audiences that his greatest battle isn’t against an opponent on the court but against the disappointment and regret he’s carried for years. Those emotional beats ensure the film has more substance than its admittedly ridiculous premise would initially suggest.

That sincerity extends to the comedy, with The Dink proving funnier than most studio comedies released in recent years. Rather than relying on endless improvisation or gross-out humor, the script finds laughs through sharp character interactions, the absurd seriousness with which everyone treats pickleball, and a cast that is completely committed to the bit. Not every joke lands, but the hit rate is surprisingly high, resulting in a film that consistently earns chuckles from beginning to end. It’s rarely the kind of comedy that leaves you doubled over with laughter, and yet it maintains a steady rhythm of amusing moments throughout its runtime. Combined with entertaining supporting turns and well-timed cameos, the humor feels effortless rather than forced and renders The Dink an easy, consistently enjoyable watch.

If there’s one area where The Dink plays things a little too safely, it’s in its story. Dusty’s arc follows a familiar sports movie formula: a former prodigy suffers a humiliating fall from grace, reluctantly embraces an unlikely opportunity, and ultimately earns redemption by confronting the mistakes that have defined him for decades. There are very few surprises along the way, and most viewers will be able to predict exactly where the film is heading after the opening act.

Thankfully, director Josh Greenbaum and writer Sean Clements succeed in execution where they err in originality. By grounding the familiar beats in appealing performances, genuine emotional stakes, and a healthy dose of self-aware humor, The Dink turns an undeniably conventional underdog story into one that is consistently entertaining and funny. The destination may be obvious, but the journey is charming enough that it hardly matters.

Author rating: 7/10