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The Dink

Play trailer 2:22 Poster for The Dink PG-13 2026 1h 42m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
74% Tomatometer 86 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
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. Torn between two worlds, Dusty is forced to finally face the ghosts of his past athletic failures, including his childhood nemesis, Andy Roddick (Andy Roddick). Ultimately, Dusty is drawn into a desperate battle for the future of the club, his father's affection and his very identity.
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The Dink

The Dink

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Critics Consensus

Jake Johnson gives his all to pickleball in The Dink, a funny and easygoing enough comeback for the sports comedies of yore that leaves it all on the court with ample pizzazz.

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Audience Says

While not an overhead smash, The Dink’s game cast serves up enough good-natured humor to make it an enjoyable match.

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Critics Reviews

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Martin Robinson London Evening Standard Jul 28
2/5
Apple TV’s new film The Dink, however, takes a disappointingly gentler approach in depicting the gentle American sport of pickleball when it should, surely, be taking a wrecking ball to it. Go to Full Review
Jared Richards The Age (Australia) Jul 27
2/5
Much like the gentle pickleball lob it’s named after, The Dink plods along lightly, pleasant enough but subdued. Go to Full Review
Kevin Maher The Times (UK) Jul 25
2/5
Harris is typically effective as the sociopathic paterfamilias but it’s a familiar performance that, if not quite phoned in, could almost have been delivered over Zoom. Go to Full Review
James Croot The Post NZ 15h
It might not be the best pickleball-menace movie of 2026, that honour surely goes to documentary Kings of Venice, but this aces its rare dramatic moments, while serving up a real comedic treat. Go to Full Review
Rachel Ho Exclaim! 18h
Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen's pairing creates a wholesome and humorous overlay to the story, but the movie never quite takes off as a comedy or a sports movie. Go to Full Review
Sonal Pandya Times Now Aug 5
3/5
There are no real surprises in terms of story, but the cast sells the narrative's turns as delightful surprises. While the movie's story is based on a tennis versus pickleball rivalry, the focus on the new sport is about how it transforms Dusty. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Christian K @ckacar 11h Effective and tame streaming fare, Mary Steenburgen getting a real solid romantic comedy part at age 73 is impressive. See more Michael A @mcafilms 13h It’s a thin story, but it is nonetheless fun and enjoyable as a summer comedy should be. See more Meri S @mschroeder 1d This is just a fun little romp. A few laugh out loud moments. Formulaic and a little goofy? Yes. But I believe it deserves higher audience scores than what it’s getting. It’s a breath of fresh air in a movie market flooded with violence, drama and action. A lot of AList actors too. See more Oggie B @OGDawg 3d D is a charming, laugh-out-loud romp that knows exactly how to have fun. Clever, lighthearted, and packed with personality, it’s a delightful little comedy that hits the sweet spot. See more Yash B @yashbansal 3d "The Dink" is not going to change any lives, but it is light and fun enough to watch one time. The story is straightforward, and the laughs are in there. I will say the star of this movie from a comedy standpoint is Aaron Chen, who had me laughing out loud in many moments. Jake Johnson is also pretty good in the lead and has fun with it. The movie is formulaic and often the jokes do fall a bit flat, but the movie is not a terrible watch. Overall, it's an okay streaming movie that likely won't be too memorable in the years to come but is a decent time nonetheless. See more DescriberKat T @RT12085049 3d A surprise! Avoids most of the expected tropes — both sports movie, AND Stiller movie. The characters are written much smarter as is the norm these days. Especially for American comedy. The really strong cast is in really top form handling the material. And finally, this movie has heart. Like I said... a surprise. And definitely worth a watch. See more Read all reviews
The Dink

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Movie Info

Synopsis 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. Torn between two worlds, Dusty is forced to finally face the ghosts of his past athletic failures, including his childhood nemesis, Andy Roddick (Andy Roddick). Ultimately, Dusty is drawn into a desperate battle for the future of the club, his father's affection and his very identity.
Director
Josh Greenbaum
Producer
Ben Stiller, John Lesher, Rob Paris, Mike Witherill, Jake Johnson
Screenwriter
Sean Clements
Distributor
Apple TV
Production Co
Red Hour Films, Rivulet Media, Apple Original Films
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Material|Strong Language)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 24, 2026
Runtime
1h 42m
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