Jake Johnson Shines in New Pickleball Comedy 'The Dink
WHO:
The Hollywood Reporter - Jake Johnson stars in "The Dink" as Dustin Boyd.
The Hollywood Reporter - Mary Steenburgen plays Candace.
The Hollywood Reporter - Ed Harris portrays Chuck, Dustin's father.
The Hollywood Reporter - Ben Stiller is the lead producer and has a supporting role.
The Hollywood Reporter - Other cast members include Aaron Chen, Patton Oswalt, Cleo King, Lynne Marie Stewart, and John McEnroe.
WHAT:
The Hollywood Reporter - The film "The Dink" is described as a watchable but entirely vanilla sports comedy that spins a tale of underdog triumph around a once-promising tennis prodigy.
The Hollywood Reporter - The film features a duel between the star players of tennis and pickleball as a central plot point, with Dustin's father Chuck viewing pickleball as an existential threat to tennis.
The Hollywood Reporter - The character Chuck, played by Ed Harris, is described as emotionally cold and has a pivotal role in Dustin's quest for approval.
The Hollywood Reporter - The film's screenplay was written by Sean Clements, who was inspired by his experiences playing pickleball and interacting with a competitive group of older women in Beverly Hills.
The Hollywood Reporter - The film "The Dink" is described as wanting to do for pickleball what "Dodgeball" did for its sport.
The Hollywood Reporter - The character Dusty Boyd drives a car with the vanity plates "DE-HAMMR."
The Hollywood Reporter - The film features a duel between the star players of tennis and pickleball as a central plot point.
The Guardian - Jake Johnson described the training for the film as "like WWE," emphasizing the physicality required despite the scripted nature of the sport.
The Guardian - Johnson stated he wanted to create a film that feels "a little old school" and is "not trying to teach people anything."
The Guardian - Johnson expressed a desire to make a movie that provides an escape from the divisive atmosphere surrounding the 2024 presidential election, saying, "I don’t want to throw more wood on to that fire."
The Guardian - Johnson referred to his character Dusty as "a goober" and mentioned that he remains bitter about the injury that ended his promising tennis career, blaming Andy Roddick for it.
The Hollywood Reporter - The film's plot includes a duel between the star players of tennis and pickleball, which is a central conflict in the story.
The Hollywood Reporter - Jake Johnson's character, Dustin Boyd, is nicknamed "The Hammer" due to his powerful serves.
The Hollywood Reporter - The character Chuck, played by Ed Harris, is described as emotionally cold and has a pivotal role in Dustin's quest for approval.
The Hollywood Reporter - "The Dink" is a sports comedy centered around a former tennis prodigy who rediscovers his passion for the sport of pickleball.
The Hollywood Reporter - The film is rated PG-13 and has a runtime of 1 hour and 43 minutes.
The Hollywood Reporter - The release date for "The Dink" is set for Friday, July 24.
The Guardian - Jake Johnson underwent months of training in pickleball and tennis for his role.
WHERE:
The Hollywood Reporter - The story takes place at a tennis club run by Dustin's father.
WHEN:
The Hollywood Reporter - The film is set to be released on July 24.
WHY:
The Guardian - Jake Johnson aimed to create a film that provides an escape from the divisive atmosphere surrounding the 2024 presidential election, stating, "I don’t want to throw more wood on to that fire."
The Guardian - Jake Johnson sought to create a light-hearted comedy to provide an escape from the divisive atmosphere surrounding the 2024 presidential election.
HOW:
The Guardian - Johnson described his training for the film as "like WWE," emphasizing the need for physicality despite the scripted nature of the sport.
The Hollywood Reporter - The film's screenplay was written by Sean Clements, who was inspired by his experiences playing pickleball.
(UPDATED July 22, 2026 13:24 UTC)
The film "The Dink" is a watchable but entirely vanilla sports comedy that tells the story of an underdog tennis prodigy facing off against the rising popularity of pickleball. Central to the plot is a duel between the star players of both sports, with the character Chuck, played by Ed Harris, serving as an emotionally cold father who views pickleball as a threat to tennis and plays a pivotal role in his son Dustin's quest for approval. The screenplay, crafted by Sean Clements, draws inspiration from his own experiences playing pickleball and engaging with a competitive group of older women in Beverly Hills.
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(UPDATED July 22, 2026 11:33 UTC)
The upcoming film "The Dink" aims to bring pickleball into the spotlight, much like "Dodgeball" did for its sport, featuring a central plot point that includes a duel between star players of tennis and pickleball. Jake Johnson, who plays the character Dusty Boyd—who drives a car with the vanity plates "DE-HAMMR"—described the training as being reminiscent of WWE, highlighting the physical demands despite the scripted nature of the film. Johnson also expressed his desire to create a light-hearted escape from the divisive atmosphere surrounding the 2024 presidential election, stating, "I don’t want to throw more wood on to that fire," while referring to his character as "a goober" who still holds a grudge against Andy Roddick for an injury that ended his tennis career.
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(UPDATED July 22, 2026 06:48 UTC)
In a new film, Jake Johnson stars as Dustin Boyd, nicknamed "The Hammer" for his powerful serves, and faces off in a duel against the star players of tennis and pickleball, which serves as the central conflict of the story. Ed Harris plays Chuck, a character described as emotionally cold, who plays a pivotal role in Dustin's quest for approval. Johnson aimed to create an escape from the divisive atmosphere surrounding the upcoming presidential election, noting that his training for the film felt "like WWE," highlighting the physicality required despite the scripted nature of the sport.
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(UPDATED July 22, 2026 05:55 UTC)
Jake Johnson stars in the upcoming sports comedy "The Dink," where he plays a former tennis prodigy rediscovering his love for pickleball, alongside a talented cast that includes Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, and Ben Stiller, who also serves as the lead producer. The film, rated PG-13 and running for one hour and 43 minutes, is set to be released on Friday, July 24, and features a storyline centered around a tennis club run by Dustin's father. Johnson trained for months in both pickleball and tennis to bring authenticity to his role, aiming to create a light-hearted escape from the divisive atmosphere surrounding the 2024 presidential election.