I'm quite enjoying the new basketball era of Adam Sandler's career. So far he's two for two, with both this film and _Uncut Gems_ being worthy additions to the library of basketball focused cinema. But that's not to say that the movies are similar. They could not be more different, which gives Sandler a chance to really show some range between the two. In that first outing, Sandler played a manic, desperate sports gambler, with the story tracking his depressing downward spiral. This film instead tells a more traditional feel-good sports story, with Sandler's character playing a talent scout who risks it all to champion an unknown international player. We get all of the classic sports movie clichés, with training montages galore and our star bouncing back and forth between being in the zone and having the yips whenever the plot demands (we also get the up and coming cliché of social media/viral videos being an important plot point).

Now, pointing out clichés often has a negative connotation, but that's not the case here. This is another film that really demonstrates that the oldest formulas can still lead to great films. The familiarity of high level plot points is a sin easily forgiven if the moment to moment writing, performances, and filmmaking are all excellent, as they are in this film. It also helps if a movie can find small ways to twist the formula and keep things at least a little bit fresh, which this movie also does. In particular, the film's focus on the draft/combine is a nice change of pace from most sports films. Instead of having the tension driven by the score line in a "big game", this film leverages the smaller stakes of simply performing well in training and practice. Another big plus is the generous presence of legit NBA talent. The use of real players, past and present, grounds the movie in reality and makes for a fun watch for the fans. And, while I'm no basketball expert, I think it's safe to say that that presence also improved the quality of the basketball footage in the film.