'a pleasing popcorn movie'

by Beth Webb | Published on 23rd July 2026 at 7.00pm Follow Empire on Google You don’t need to have picked up the broad, light paddle used for pickleball to know what a sporting phenomenon it’s become in recent years. Its selling-point? Essentially anyone can play it. Hence its mounting popularity among the elderly, the very young, and anyone who might want to avoid the pace and rigour of tennis, pickleball’s racier peer. Of course, if you like tennis, pickleball may feel like playing your preferred sport in a vat of hummus. Which is the predicament Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson) finds himself in. He’s a fallen-prodigy-turned-tennis-coach, who after an injury is encouraged to build back his strength on a different kind of court, one frequented by those partial to a fanny pack and early-bird special.