TPA was on the ground at the Los Angeles premiere for full red carpet coverage of Apple's newest sports comedy We were there for the premiere of The Dink, and if the energy on the carpet was any indication, Apple has another crowd-pleasing underdog comedy on its hands.

The Setup

Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Will & Harper) and written by Sean Clements, The Dink follows washed-up tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), who's been reduced to coaching kids at his father Chuck's (Ed Harris) country club. When an old injury sidelines him from tennis for good, Dusty reluctantly picks up a pickleball paddle for rehab — and finds an unexpected spark with Candace (Mary Steenburgen), one of the club's pickleball regulars.

The Verdict

It's a familiar underdog sports-comedy formula — think a gentler, PG-13 cousin of Dodgeball — but The Dink leans into its own goofiness rather than fighting it. Johnson is reliably watchable as the affable jerk forced to eat some humble pie, and Steenburgen brings genuine warmth to a role that could have been a throwaway love interest in lesser hands. Aaron Chen's PJ, Dusty's hero-worshipping sidekick, and Chloe Fineman round out a supporting cast stacked with comedy talent, while cameos from tennis royalty like Andy Roddick and John McEnroe add a wink for sports fans.

The Takeaway

Critics have been split on just how far the film's satire goes — some found it a little too polite for a sport this easy to poke fun at — but there's a consensus that Johnson and Steenburgen's chemistry, and the film's genuine affection for its underdog club, carry it through its predictable third-act "save the club" beats.

The Dink premieres globally on Apple TV on Friday, July 24.

The Dink Premiere Pictures