Los Angeles, California - When filmmaker Josh Greenbaum first ventured onto a pickleball court, he found an accessible pastime that could quickly turn intense, generating not just sweat but a range of emotions in minutes.
His conclusion: pickleball had all the right ingredients for comedy.
Greenbaum drew on that observation to direct The Dink, an Apple TV film which hit the streaming platform on Friday.
"I think part of what's so funny about it is, you know, how quickly something that starts very [much] as casual fun can become deeply competitive and also weirdly emotional," the 47-year-old director told AFP in an interview.
The Dink brings together Dusty (Jake Johnson) – a former tennis prodigy who spends his time reminiscing about past glories, much to the chagrin of his father (Ed Harris) – and Candace (Mary Steenburgen), a divorcée who has developed a passion for pickleball in this new phase of her life.
The film, which features real-time former tennis ace Andy Roddick, is about reinvention, ego, friendship, "and trying to find purpose," Greenbaum said.
"You have these kind of two lost souls, obviously of different generations, who are trying to figure out who they are and redefine themselves, and they help one another to do so," he said.
The movie, written by Sean Clements and produced by Hollywood staple Ben Stiller, also touches on intergenerational conflict.
"Maybe in this version, tennis represents sort of the way things have been done, and pickleball is representing a new way," said Greenbaum, who directed Will & Harper, a 2024 documentary chronicling a cross-country road trip by two old friends.
The Dink explores contentious divide between tennis and pickleball
At the heart of The Dink is pickleball, a sport played with small rackets and perforated plastic balls that is all the rage in the US, where schoolkids, seniors, and A-list Hollywood celebrities are on board.
The movie takes its name from the controlled dink shot that pickleball players deftly arc over the net.
The "unique" relationship between tennis and pickleball was fertile ground, the director said.
"There's a contentiousness between the two sports at the moment, and I think a lot of it's driven by the fact that they're fighting over limited resources," said Greenbaum, who was trounced in his first pickleball game by opponents in their sixties.
"It's just a sport that makes you laugh, that you make friends with people, that you share something together, and that you can get better at. Even, you know, at my age," says 73-year-old Steenburgen, herself an avid player.
On Monday, at the film's premiere in Los Angeles, the usually red carpet was blue like a pickleball court.
Greenbaum and his cast don't doubt The Dink will draw new enthusiasts to the game.
But Jake Johnson, whose character finds a second chance through pickleball, hopes the film will inspire viewers to "do what makes them happy, no matter what."