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''Trouble with the Curve'' is a 2012 sports-drama film directed by Robert Lorenz and starring Creator/ClintEastwood, Creator/AmyAdams, Music/JustinTimberlake, Creator/MatthewLillard, and Creator/JohnGoodman.

Eastwood plays Gus Lobel, a baseball talent scout for the Atlanta Braves. Gus's eyesight is failing, more of his job is being done by computers he doesn't understand, and he's badly estranged with his daughter, Mickey (Adams). He's given an assignment to determine whether it's time to put him to pasture, evaluating an up-and-coming prospect named Bo Gentry. In the course of the scouting trip, he's forced to admit to his failings, and tries to connect once more with his daughter. Also in the picture is Johnny "The Flame" Flanagan (Timberlake), a former player Gus had scouted who is now himself a scout for the Boston Red Sox... and who takes quite a shine to Mickey.

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!!''Trouble with the Curve'' provides examples of:

* ArtisticLicenseSports: [[http://joeposnanski.com/curveballs/ The movie plays fast and loose regarding scouting and player development.]]
* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' get "insistent" with Mickey in front of Gus. '''Ever.'''
* CareerVersusMan: Mickey's boyfriend has popped the question to her, and she's putting it off to focus on getting the partnership... which gets him fed up enough to break up.
* ChekhovsSkill: Early in the film, Rigo tosses a bag of peanuts to Bo. His throw is smooth, fast, and on-target.
* ChivalrousPervert: Johnny helps Gus defend Mickey against the harasser... [[RefugeInAudacity and then steals a kiss, to her chagrin.]] And then, when she [[NoPeekingRequest tells him not to peek as she undresses]] to follow him into the river, his reply is to verbally stare at the car... which she's undressing right next to.
--> '''Johnny:''' Really hot paint job.
* ClintSquint: Gus... [[Creator/ClintEastwood of course]]. Creator/AmyAdams seem to be trying it out a few times, herself--making it run in the family.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Johnny has his moments. Like when he gives Mickey a big smooch right after claiming she's his sister... explaining to her [[InsaneTrollLogic he's never had a sister as pretty as her.]]
* CuttingTheElectronicLeash: Near the end of the film, Mickey tosses her ringing cellphone in a dumpster.
* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: Gus reveals that the reason he farmed Mickey off to an uncle she barely knew for a year was because [[spoiler:he lost track of her at a game and found her [[AttemptedRape being felt up by a strange guy]] in a shack]].
* DeadpanSnarker: Gus, Mickey, and Johnny all have their wit.
* DefrostingTheIceQueen: Johnny makes it his mission to get Mickey to open up to him and so forth.
* GroinAttack: Mickey's response to Johnny's excuse for the kiss steal is to... knock him with her pool cue.
* {{Jerkass}}: Phillip is ''quite'' verbally eager to get rid of Gus and rub in any weaknesses he might see. Bo also qualifies, being clearly ''way'' too drunk on his fame.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Johnny is a rare male example, with his bordering-on-crazy "free spirit" attitude, and encouraging Mickey to open up, both to him and to Gus.
* NoPeekingRequest: When Johnny convinces Mickey to go SkinnyDipping with him at night, she gets behind her car to undress and tells him not to peek. His reply is to verbally stare at the car... which she's undressing right next to. When she calls him out for the [[EatingTheEyeCandy blatant ogling]] he says he's just [[BlatantLies admiring her "really hot paint job"]].
* OneOfTheBoys: Mickey grew up around baseball players. She can be quite feminine without thought, but she's also learned how to drink from the bottle, chomp on hot dogs, and shoot pool with the guys... along with putting up with their drinking, swearing, [[TooMuchInformation and farting]].
* RealMenWearPink: When Johnny calls ''Series/DrPhil'' "quality television", Gus chimes in, "Yeah."
* ShipperOnDeck: Gus seems quite pleased at the idea of Mickey and Johnny going out, and even encourages them to do so at one point.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Philip, the man gunning for Gus's job, does all of his work by computer statistics. Gus goes out and watches, and listens, to the players being scouted. Despite there being a clean winner in the approach, it is pointed out that Phillip has a more repeatable process and that he gets more work done.
* TitleDrop: Near the end of the film, Gus states outright that [[spoiler:Bo Gentry]] has "trouble with the curve".
* TomboyishName:
-->'''Johnny:''' So, what's "Mickey" short for? Michelle?\\
'''Mickey:''' Mickey is short for Mickey. [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous As in my father's favorite player, Mickey Mantle.]]\\
'''Johnny:''' Aha. ''[{{beat}}]'' Lucky it wasn't Yogi Berra.
* WellDoneDaughterGirl: Mickey's life has largely been predicated on showing herself worthy so that her father will bring her back into his life.
* {{Workaholic}}: Mickey has worked every Saturday for the last seven years, and she doesn't stop on the roadtrip.
* WorthyOpponent: Gus is scouting for the Braves. Johnny is scouting for the Red Sox. They're both analyzing Bo Gentry to see if he's worthy of making the draft pick. And they're friendly as heck with each other.
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Mickey pleads with [[spoiler: Johnny]] to this effect, concerning [[spoiler: whether or not their telling him about Bo's trouble was a con to secure Bo for the Braves]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that, frankly, she ''doesn't'' have any other way to convince him.