In the wake of Oscar-nominee “MoneyBall,” other baseball films have tried to step up to the plate. However, “Trouble with the Curve” strikes out. It does little to keep the audience engaged, and as a result it becomes dull and predictable.

The plot centers on an elderly baseball scout, Gus (Clint Eastwood), who works for the Atlanta Braves, looking for potential high school talent in the area. Throughout his long career, Gus has been highly regarded as one of the greatest scouts of his time. However, with old age and glaucoma starting to creep up on him, as well as a recent recruit not living up to his promise, Gus is being pressured out of his job with only three months left on his contract to prove himself.

His daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), visits with him in an attempt to reconnect with him and help him, despite the fact that he is reluctant to accept. During the visit she meets an up-and-coming scout, Johnny (Justin Timberlake), who begins to flirt with her and encourages her to break away from her work-oriented life.

For the most part, the cast seems dull in this film. Eastwood gives some emotion to his character, but for most of the film he plays a stereotypically grumpy old man, an act that literally gets old. Adams gives a heartfelt performance when trying to rebuild her relationship with Gus but provides the audience with few memorable moments to take away. The outliers in this cast are Timberlake, who, per usual, is charmingly sweet and moving, as well as Goodman, who gives a convincing performance.

The script, written by Randy Brown, proves to be predictable throughout, with few plot developments to take the audience by surprise. Likewise, the director, longtime Eastwood collaborator Robert Lorenz, fails to bring out much emotion at all from the cast, besides a few loving moments between Adams and Eastwood.

The predictable plot and clichéd script combined with the generally boring performances from the cast produce a film that fails to connect with the audience. “Trouble with the Curve” is a film that will disappoint those expecting a home run because, in reality, the film ends up being more of a bunt.

Overall Rating: 1 ½ stars

“Trouble with the Curve,” directed by Robert Lorenz, falls flat with its dull and predictable plot.