For the last few years it’s felt like Adam Sandler has been rewriting the rulebook of what he does onscreen. “Hustle,” which has been firmly atop Netflix’s most-watched movies list since it launched last week, is just the latest example in a string of unexpected turns that’s included “The Meyerowitz Stories,” “The Week Of,” “Murder Mystery” and “Uncut Gems.”
Directed by Jeremiah Zagar, whose previous film “We the Animals” was nominated for five Spirit Awards, Sandler’s breakout basketball dramedy was written by Taylor Materne and “A Star Is Born” co-writer Will Fetters.
The film, from Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions, stars the comedian as Stanley Sugerman, a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers who spends most of his time scouring the globe for the next NBA sensation, away form his wife Teresa (Queen Latifah) and daughter Alex (Jordan Hull) while desperately wanting to become a coach. When he discovers Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez), an unknown player living in Spain, Stanley risks everything to get him on the team.
