Blu-ray Review: Trouble with the Curve - Page 2

Unfortunately the supporting characters are not quite as interesting. They fall into stereotypes that serve no other purpose than pushing the story along. The baseball prospect, Bo Gentry, is an arrogant jock who thinks more about the glamorous life he will live as a major leaguer than improving his game. One of the baseball executives (Matthew Lillard) is so convinced Gus is obsolete, he doesn’t see contrary evidence right in front of his face. An underutilized Robert Patrick is almost a non-presence as the team’s general manager.

The biggest downside to Trouble with the Curve is the overly clichéd storyline. It becomes too predictable to be interesting. Even an unexpected little twist turns out as exactly as one would expect, as soon as it becomes apparent where the story is going. The upside to the film is that, though predictable, the story is not a boring one. The main characters are relatable and easy to like. It’s all easy enough to watch and fairly entertaining.

The Blu-ray presentation is very strong. The 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer looks great. The colors are vibrant, the grassy baseball fields are a nice bright green. Skin is evenly-toned and looks natural. Eastwood’s deeply lined face and five o’clock shadow is detailed. The sound is presented DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround. Again the presentation is very high quality. Game sounds, like the applause of the crowd, the pings of aluminum bats, pop out of the speakers. The game sequences are where the mix comes the most fully alive. The Dialogue clarity is fine. Even Eastwood’s gruff whispery speaking voice is easily understandable at its quietest.

The special features are minimal on this release, consisting only of two short featurettes. One is the five-minute “Rising Through the Ranks,” which spotlights director Robert Lorentz and Eastwood. Lorentz is a first-time director on this film, but has worked as producer and assistant director with Eastwood for many years. The second featurette is the six-minute “For the Love of the Game,” which is more focused on Adams and Timberlake. The package also includes a standard DVD and an UltraViolet copy.

Overall, Trouble with the Curve is a fairly enjoyable film that only ends up being memorable for its lead performances.

Article Author: Sherry Lipp

Sherry writes mostly music and DVD reviews, and on occasion she gets to do an interview. She plays the guitar, loves to read, watch movies, and write. Sherry also is a gluten free food blogger, and enjoys coming up with grain and sugar free recipes.

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