A film about one of America’s favorite pastimes is sure to interest even those who aren’t baseball enthusiasts. The movie, “Trouble with the Curve,” stars Oscar winner Clint Eastwood, Grammy nominee Amy Adams and hit star Justin Timberlake.“Trouble with the Curve” is about much more than just baseball. The movie is about the stress we put on our careers, our friendships and our family to uncover what is actually most important to us.
Gus Lobel, played by Eastwood, is a baseball scout who has been on top of his game for decades. Unfortunately, as his health begins to fail him, he struggles to keep his job as the Atlanta Braves’ top recruiter. Front Office of the Atlanta Braves wants hot batting talent for the upcoming draft and isn’t sure that Lobel can handle the responsibility. Lobel’s slowly-worsening eye sight causes him to be almost unable to see the ball cross home plate. Not to mention, his age is slowly putting him behind the times in a technological sense. The league has recently developed software that is capable of reading pitch-by-pitch sequences in the recruiting process.  Despite the odds, Lobel refuses to be sidelined.
As Lobel embarks on his latest scouting trip just before the upcoming draft, he gets an unexpected recruiting partner: his daughter Mickey, played by Amy Adams.  Mickey is an associate at a very powerful law firm in Atlanta, where her dedication has her on track to becoming a partner.  Against her better judgment and possibly jeopardizing her own career, she attempts to save her father’s career. The two travel to North Carolina where they spend more time together than they bargained for. On their recruiting trip, Mickey questions Lobel’s decision to abandon her after her mother passed away. Although she resents Lobel for what he did, she learns that he had good intentions with his decision.  As the scouting venture continues both will continue to learn things about their past and present that could have an even larger impact on their future.
Timberlake plays a rival scout known as Johnny Flanagan.  Not only does he have an eye for a good player when he sees one, he also has his eyes on Mickey. Flanagan was once recruited by Lobel, but after throwing out his arm early in his career, he is taking a swing at recruiting instead. Although he has aspirations of becoming an announcer someday, spending time with Lobel recruiting is teaching him more about himself than the players he’s trying to pick up. The relationship that Lobel and Flanagan share can teach the audience a thing or two about the importance of friendship.
In the battle for forgiveness, love and the best talent in the league, Eastwood, Adams and Timberlake all pull through with groundbreaking performances in their respective roles. The main cast also includes John Goodman, Pete Klein and Matthew Lillard. The film is directed by Robert Lorenz and the screenplay was written by Randy Brown.  The film is a must-see this fall.