Clint Eastwood returns to acting (unless you count his charade at the RNC) for the first time since 2008’s Gran Torino.  This time, he’s not behind the camera, but giving the reins to his frequent collaborator Robert Lorenz (Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima).  Trouble with the Curve  tells the story of an aging baseball scout Gus Lobel (Eastwood) checking out a hot high school prospect, only to see (or not) that his visions is going.  After goading from Gus’ friend and boss Pete (John Goodman), Gus’ daughter Mickey (Amy Adams, The Fighter, The Muppets, Enchanted) decides to join her father on the trip despite their estranged relationship.  While on the job, they run into Johnny “The Flame” Flanagan (Justin Timberlake, The Social Network, Friends with Benefits), a former prospect turned scout, who starts to take an interest in Mickey.

Like most Mariner prospects, the film looks great on paper; a stellar cast and crew.  But also like most Mariner prospects, the film turns out to be quite mediocre.  None of the characters are new or novel.  They are merely stock characters taken from the same cookie-cutter mold, making for a predictable narrative.  Each plot point is handled so heavily that the arcs write themselves as soon as they are introduced.  Such colorless characters makes it easy to write off each turn in the story with indifference, making any attempts at poignancy ring to a deaf ear.  

There are slight charms to the film such as solid performances from Eastwood, Adams, and a scene stealing JT.  Lorenz shows flashes of some signature Eastwoodian cinematography, like noiresque low key lighting.  It all adds up so formulaically to a family drama where father and daughter learn to look past misunderstandings to reforge a broken relationship, tying a happy ending up in a bow.  A pleasant visit to the movies sure, but in comparison to other Fall movies like The Master and Looper, it’s going to have some trouble with the curve.