Movie Review: ‘The Dink’ | Moviefone

Mary Steenburgen and Jake Johnson in ‘The Dink,’ premiering July 24, 2026 on Apple TV.

On Apple TV on July 24 is ‘The Dink,’ a new sports comedy starring Jake Johnson as a blowhard former tennis star who, following an injury, discovers new meaning and new friends via the sport of pickleball.

Release Date: Jul 23, 2026

Run Time: 1 hr 42 min

Directed by Josh Greenbaum (‘Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar’), the cast for the comedy also includes Mary Steenburgen (‘Last Vegas’), Ed Harris (‘Pollock’), Aaron Chen (‘Fisk’), Cleo King (‘Pineapple Express’) and former tennis pro Andy Roddick.

Related Article: Director Josh Greenbaum Talks ‘Strays’ Starring Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx

Initial Thoughts

Aaron Chen and Jake Johnson in ‘The Dink,’ premiering July 24, 2026 on Apple TV.

The sports comedy genre can be a –– pun entirely intended –– hit and miss affair. You have champion efforts such as ‘Happy Gilmore,’‘Dodgeball’ or ‘Caddyshack’ and some runners-up including ‘The Comebacks.’

New Apple effort ‘The Dink’ at least boasts a solid cast and a director who has proved he knows how to elicit laughs from different situations.

Script and Direction

Mary Steenburgen in ‘The Dink,’ premiering July 24, 2026 on Apple TV.

Written by Sean Clements (‘Workaholics’), the movie follows some very familiar (some might almost say predictable) sports genre paths, including the cocky hero with a troubled past who gets the redemption he didn’t know he needed, some underdog players, a pushy parental figure and more, yet the script synthesizes them into something that works well within context.

Director Greenbaum, meanwhile, coaxes solid work from his cast and keeps the film moving along even when diversions threaten its momentum. And most of all, he’s made something that generates genuine laughs with a healthy side of non-schmaltzy heart.

Cast and Performances

Jake Johnson and Ben Stiller in ‘The Dink,’ premiering July 24, 2026 on Apple TV.

Johnson is our anchor here as the bitter tennis player who was a star in his youth until an accident (the story is more complicated than that, but we won’t spoil it here) sidelined his burgeoning career. Simmering with vengeful feelings against actual tennis star Andy Roddick (who does good work cameoing as a version of himself ), he’s a great and actually relatable comic character that never descends into the sort of frustrating, overplayed antics we’ve seen from the likes of Will Ferrell in recent golf comedy series ‘The Hawk.’

Around him, Mary Steenburgen brings typical sweetness with no-nonsense backing, Ed Harris has fun as Johnson’s pushy father and Australian comedian Aaron Chen is a suitably goofy sidekick for Johnson’s Dustin “Dusty” Boyd.

Final Thoughts

Andy Roddick in ‘The Dink,’ premiering July 24, 2026 on Apple TV.

It might not be in the same league as, say, ‘Dodgeball,’ but ‘The Dink’ delivers on the wacky comedy blended with a thoughtful human side.

‘The Dink’ receives 75 out of 100.

Jake Johnson and Ed Harris in ‘The Dink,’ premiering July 24, 2026 on Apple TV.

What is the plot of ‘The Dink’?

Washed-up former tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson) has been reduced to coaching unruly children at his father Chuck’s (Ed Harris) suburban country club. Desperate for his father’s approval, Dusty blindly supports Chuck’s vendetta against the new craze taking over the club: pickleball.

But when Dusty reaggravates an old injury, taking away his ability to play tennis, he resorts to the unthinkable in the name of rehab. He not only tries pickleball, but, thanks in part to his enchanting new partner, Candace (Mary Steenburgen), he finds himself actually enjoying it.