Trouble with the film

Rating: 5/10 (15 September 2013)

A supposed novelty, Clint Eastwood is directed by Robert Lorenz who makes his directorial debut but he his a longtime Malpaso associate of Eastwood having served as a Producer in several films.
However it's likely as in other Eastwood films where there has been a nominal director, that Eastwood calls the actual shots.
Since Escape from Alcatraz in 1979, it is only been acclaimed director Wolfgang Petersen who has properly directed Eastwood in a movie, 'In the line of fire.'
In City Heat from 1985, Eastwood had a cool and troubled relationship with its director, Richard Benjamin who seems to have control of the film.
The Trouble with the Curve is about an ageing baseball scout, struggling in a world where others use computer software to track prospects. Because of his failing eyesight he reluctantly teams up with his rather distant daughter who unveils some deep issues with her father as the movie progresses.
They travel together looking at new talent from the college leagues and tagging along is Justin Timberlake playing a generic love interest who disappears at the latter part of the film and the suddenly reappears at the end.
It is all amiable, Eastwood with even more of a gravelly voice now he is in his 80s plays the curmudgeonly scout who is going out of fashion to be replaced the likes of Matthew Lillard and their shaggy dog computer projections.
Amy Adams, Eastwood's daughter is a hot shot lawyer who works all hours including Saturdays for the last 7 years so she can make partner for her law firm.
The firm admits early on that they have never had a female partner in the firm ever. It is details like this which highlights serious flaws in the film.
So in a USA that has a black President, had three female Secretary of States, one of which was also black. Amy Adams hot shot lawyer cannot recognise a sex discrimination case punching her in the face, repeatedly by this misogynistic firm.
She also later reveals to her father that she has been seeing a shrink for years because her father used to abandon her as a child. This all depends on a plot point where she has totally forgotten a traumatic childhood incident.
We have a hot shot hitter who never seems to have ever faced a curve ball in his life.
A Hispanic peanut guy who can throw a mean pack of peanuts to the hot shot hitter. I wonder if this will be relevant later on?
Especially as the hot shot hitter is such a jerk. Why has no one ever thrown him a curve ball just to make sure he does not have trouble with it?
It is sort of a film with a weak script that has not properly been thought through.
The personality of the actors carry it through despite its flaws. Being from the UK, I know little about baseball or else I would probably have seen more plot holes.
Eastwood does not stretch himself too much, Adams does her best with her character and she is the one who provides heart to this flawed film.