‘The Dink’ Review: Pickleball Takes on Tennis in a Mild Underdog Sports Comedy

Following a failed tennis prodigy's attempt to prove himself in a new arena, Josh Greenbaum's film is short on belly laughs, but Jake Johnson's chemistry with pickleball partner Mary Steenburgen is a pleasant surprise.

By Guy Lodge

Guy Lodge

Film Critic

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You don’t have to hit hard to win pickleball — that’s the chief lesson to be taken from “The Dink,” a sports comedy titled for the dainty signature shot of the fast-growing racket sport, and it’s one that Josh Greenbaum‘s film takes to heart with its own softball comic style. Following a conceited former tennis prodigy as he’s taught a lesson in humility by a bunch of enthusiastic amateur pickleballers, this amiable-enough Apple TV original aims for the non-confrontational good vibes that most associate with the newer game, while also presenting its players as fiercer competitors than you might think.

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