Film

Hustle

Name: Hustle
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: 2022
Cast: Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Juancho Hernangómez, Ben Foster, Kenny Smith

Other titles called Hustle: the 1975 film, the 2004 series (BBC One).

Sports drama

A scrappy basketball scout bets everything on an unpolished Spanish player, defying his own team and the odds to get him NBA-ready. Sandler plays it mostly straight in a film that works as both underdog sports story and character study. Warm, earnest, funny without trying too hard—it's for anyone who likes rooting for the underdog and believes in second chances.

TMDb rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love sports stories built on a stubborn mentor and an underdog's raw talent, and you don't mind a warm, unpolished film that trusts its heart over its polish.

Skip it if you want the tight, fast-cut energy of a classic sports movie, since this one lingers on family and character and runs close to two hours.

What it asks of you: Expect a relaxed two hours, with long stretches of talk, travel and easygoing banter before the games carry real weight.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Rocky1976

The template for every underdog sports film: a nobody gets one shot, and the journey matters more than the outcome. Stallone's sincerity sells it all. Timeless.

But Shot in grainy 70s style and slower-paced than modern training montages. Some find the romance subplot dated.

Million Dollar Baby2004

Clint Eastwood's masterpiece about a grizzled mentor and hungry fighter. Explores mentorship, sacrifice, and what we owe each other. Devastating and perfect.

But It's heavy. The final act pivots into territory that will wreck you emotionally. Not a comfort watch.

Moneyball2011

Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman in a story about an underdog team and the scout who believes in the invisible. Smart, tense, and deeply human beneath the baseball stats.

But Spends significant time on front-office politics and analytics. If baseball bores you, the film will too.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Hustle

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Licorice Pizza2021

Both are about an older mentor discovering someone raw and pushing them toward their potential. Both trust their audience to care about character over plot machinations.

Paul Thomas Anderson's love letter to ambition and mentorship. A young man pursues success—and an older woman—with unstoppable energy. Shaggy, funny, gorgeously shot. About hunger and becoming.

But Meanders deliberately. The age gap between leads makes some uncomfortable. No traditional plot; it's mood and motion.

Remember the Titans2000

Denzel Washington leads a newly integrated football team through racial tension and toward unity. Inspirational without being saccharine, rooted in real history and real stakes.

But Leans hard into the sports-movie playbook. Some scenes feel engineered for applause rather than authenticity.

Ted Lasso2020

An American coach tries to win over a cynical English football club through relentless positivity and genuine belief in people. Funny, surprising, and quietly profound about kindness.

But Relentless optimism can feel cloying if you're in a dark mood. Some plot threads meander in later seasons.

The Replacements2000

Keanu Reeves leads misfit replacement footballers against a professional team. Pure fun: clever, self-aware, and unashamed about its own absurdity. Great ensemble cast.

But It's a crowd-pleaser first and a football film second. Doesn't aim for realism or depth.

Grit2021

A former rapper becomes a high school basketball coach in rural Mississippi. True story, genuinely moving, and full of warmth without sentimentality.

But Limited theatrical release means it's harder to find. Quieter and more introspective than typical sports dramas.

Coach Carter2005

Samuel L. Jackson as a coach who benches his entire team for poor grades. About discipline, dignity, and believing your students can be more than statistics.

But Heavy on inspirational speeches. Some scenes feel written for the moment rather than earned by the story.

Eddie1996

Whoopi Goldberg as a Knicks fan thrust into coaching an NBA team. Scrappy, weird, and genuinely funny in ways most sports movies aren't even trying for.

But Broad comedy doesn't land for everyone. The film's logic often bends in service of the joke rather than the plot.

La Haine1995

Both films refuse to let their protagonists be invisible. Both are about seeing someone the world overlooks and insisting they matter. Tonally opposite, same core belief.

A day in the life of three young men in a Paris banlieue. Shot in black and white, propulsive, angry, funny—a portrait of people society has written off but who refuse to disappear.

But French language. Doesn't wrap its story neatly; it ends on tension. The rage is constant and can be exhausting.

A Prophet2009

Like Hustle, it tracks someone's transformation through a mentor relationship and the gauntlet of obstacles they face. But where Hustle is warm and affirming, this is cold and harsh. Same engine, inverted register.

A young Algerian man enters a French prison as a nobody and emerges transformed. Tense, intelligent, surprisingly moving. About mentorship, survival, and becoming yourself inside impossible constraints.

But Prison violence is brutal and unsanitized. Demands your attention—it won't let you passively watch. Bleak worldview.