Will 'Break Point' Be a Breakthrough Hit? Critics Weigh in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CvcMHShHe8

Reviews are mixed for the Jay Karas-directed film "Break Point."

The comedy, given a 60 percent rating by Rotten Tomatoes, centers around a man (Jeremy Sisto) making the most of his final days as a doubles tennis player after burning bridges with everyone in his professional community, including his now-estranged brother.

While some say the SXSW-premiered flick - which hits selected theaters on Friday - is an easy, lighthearted viewing, others argue that like a tennis ball that's been hit, the movie is all over the place.

"This is the kind of movie that's ostensibly about tennis, while not actually getting into the rules or psychology of the game other than a good gag where a clerk (Adam DeVine) advises Jimmy to rub his balls against his actual balls to feel superior over his opponent. We know that there are serves and backhands and fault lines, but the rest is a sweaty muddle ... Gene Hong's script plays like a random automatic serving machine. Ideas bounce all over the place, only to be quickly followed by more." -- Amy Nicholson, L.A. Weekly

Considering it is a comedy, some argue there are no laughter-inducing moments.

"Easygoing and always likeable but hardly packed with laughs, the film will rely on the drawing power of leads Jeremy Sisto and David Walton ... Barry, an overeager student from a class Darren taught as a substitute teacher, is the film's most reliable comic relief and an undisguised sympathy-generator in a script that is otherwise emotionally thin. (Though a theme of fraternal mistrust is acknowledged from the start, its sudden crisis moment is poorly developed, making the pair's reconciliation underwhelming.)" -- John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

"Break Point could just as easily have been titled 'Game Point,' 'Net Point,' '30-Love,' or any other number of similar stock phrases taken from the world of tennis to describe its wholly, and mostly laugh-free, paint-by-numbers approach to a pair of former pros vying for relevance as they enter, kicking and screaming, into their mid 30s." -- Clayton Dillard, Slant magazine

And then there were those who consider the film a genuine, all-around gem.

"Between the engaging story, the hilarious writing and great performances from the three main cast members, 'Break Point' is one of the better sports movies that I’ve in recent years. It’s the sort of film that everyone should be able to find something enjoyable in, as it makes its mark through the human aspects of the story rather than the action of the sport. Almost every aspect of this film is excellent and it all comes together in a way that makes 'Break Point' a real smash. (Sorry, I had to.)" -- Alexander Lowe, WeGotThisCovered.com