The biggest problem I have with this movie is wanting to tack “The” at the beginning of the title. Outside of that, Trouble With The Curve is an enjoyable story about family, business and beating the odds that just happens to be about baseball. Moneyball may have been about how science is making baseball better, but Trouble With The Curve reminds us that heart and soul is just as important. As was sung in Damn Yankees, you’ve gotta have heart, and this film’s got it.

Gus (Clint Eastwood) is a scout for the Atlanta Braves, and has been picking talented players for decades. Problem is his eyes are starting to betray him. His daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) — as in Mantle, not Margaret or Michelle — a high-powered lawyer on the fast-track to being the youngest partner in her firm, joins him for a few days so he can scout one last prospect. Surrounded by other scouts, including new guy Johnny (Justin Timberlake), Gus struggles to make an accurate assessment of the player. Meanwhile, Mickey struggles to reconnect to the father that abandoned her years before.

As much as the trailers for this movie have focused on Clint Eastwood’s performance, with it’s many minor plotlines Trouble With The Curve feels more like an ensemble piece. With the actors here, that only serves to further bolster the overall story.  Adams and Timberlake are likeable as the “kids” in the film, and their on-screen chemistry is sweetly reminiscent of slow boil love stories from an earlier era. Grade A character actors abound here, like Ed Lauter (The Artist), Raymond Anthony Thomas (Shutter Island), Jack Gilpin (Adventureland), Chelcie Ross (Mad Men) and George Wyner (Spaceballs). So do more well-known actors now known for their character work, like John Goodman and Robert Patrick. Every one of these actors gives their best; I’d say they steal the scene every time, but with this ensemble that’d be a tough trick. Plus, director Lorenz knows how to balance out these fine performances.

As boo-hiss baddies, Matthew Lillard (Scooby Doo, Scream) as scheming scout Phillip Sanderson and relative newcomer Joe Massingill’s high school jock Bo Gentry are guys you love to hate.

Y’know, I wanted to make a talking-to-a-chair joke at Eastwood’s expense, what with all the craziness that had gone down in Tampa. But damn if the man didn’t suck me into the life of Gus and his world of baseball scouting. The man’s good, that’s for damn sure. But I can’t resist saying that with his walrus mustache, John Goodman looks like Zach Galifinakis’ brother from another mother. Now there’s comedy gold if anyone gets crakin’ on that casting.

Sure, there are a few thematic cliches here. A daughter that longs to have the love of her distant father. A man so mired in his work and the loss of his wife that he can’t reach out to his daughter. The “Cinderella story, outta nowhere” kid that makes it big. But these actors, and director Robert Lorenz, manage to make these chestnuts feel new. Not surprising, as Lorenz has worked with Eastwood on several films, including Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River. With this being Lorenz’s first time at the helm, he’s obviously the heir apparent to Eastwood’s low-key style. There are a few flashy bits of camera work — POV shots where the center of the field of view is blurred, baseballs coming at’cha in slomo — but what’s really lovely here are the quieter scenes. Mickey and Johnny taking a late-night swim, Gus bumping around in his motel room, a kid pitching to his brother… Lorenz lets the scene unfold at it’s own pace, drawing the audience in.

Not being any kind of sporty type myself, I ran down a couple of guys that seemed like they knew a bit about the baseball.  When I asked them what they thought about the film, they were underwhelmed and said the baseball sequences were “totally unrelalistic”.  But you know what?  I don’t care.  If I want sharp realism from my baseball movies, I’ll go re-watch Field of Dreams.  Oh, that’s make-believe too?  Well then, I guess it doesn’t matter; a good story is a good story, and a film’s ability to win my heart will beat sharp sports realism anytime.  Hey, I’m an Oriole’s fan.  I live for make-believe.  It’s worked pretty well this season, and it works for Trouble With The Curve.