Any movie that combines the comedy skills of Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Aaron Chen, Chloe Fineman, Cleo King, Patton Oswalt, Ben Stiller and the late Lynne Marie Stewart is going to be a laugh-out-loud time, proven in the new Apple TV film The Dink. Written by Sean Clements and directed by Josh Greenbaum, the sports comedy centred around pickleball takes an underdog story to even sillier heights.
The Dink is about Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), whose tennis career was cut short after a match with Andy Roddick (who plays himself in the movie) ended in a wrist injury. Now he coaches kids at his father Chuck’s (Ed Harris) tennis club, and he’s constantly seeking his father’s approval, to no avail.
As pickleball has become increasingly more popular at the club, Chuck can’t stand it, going so far as to say that the sport is evidence of “the decline of humanity.” But when Dusty’s old injury flares up and his doctor, played by Stiller, recommends he take up pickleball, Dusty finds himself not only enjoying the sport, but also enjoying the company of his impromptu partner, recently divorced Candace (Mary Steenburgen).
Candace and Dusty’s relationship starts out pretty rocky when he tries to ban her from the club. But when they get paired up for doubles against Candace’s friends, Gail (Cleo King) and Judy (Lynne Marie Stewart), he’s humbled by his lack of skills in pickleball, and Candace and Dusty start spending time together away from the club, both in need of companionship.
Spoilers for The Dink included beyond this point
Mary Steenburgen: ‘It’s one of my favourite scenes I’ve ever done’
As Steenburgen highlighted, Greenbaum’s method of directing gave her space for improv and allowed her to have a deeper connection with Johnson filming The Dink.
“When you improv with somebody, you’re deeply connected to them because neither of you really know where you’re going. And I think his way of working is my favourite way of working, which is starting with a great script, which Sean Clements wrote, and we all loved and found very funny, but then also within the day, if you find stuff, you can veer into an improv that takes you down a wonderful path,” Steenburgen told Yahoo Canada.
A favourite scene for both Steenburgen and Greenbaum was when Candace goes to an event at a honky-tonk bar, having to face her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Dusty shows up for support but he also tells Candace that he wants to be with her. Candace responds by saying she’s not physically attracted to him, and she thought they were on the same page that this is just a friendship.
“It’s a strange relationship because of the age difference alone, and then it’s not so strange when you look at the fact that these are two lonely people who actually help each other, make each other feel better,” Steenburgen said.
“But that scene outside the honky-tonk was a fascinating scene to do because it kind of goes between comedy and drama in seconds, and that kind of rocking the boat, rolling waves kind of acting is my absolute favourite thing to do, because it’s so hard. And I can’t imagine a better partner than Jake Johnson for that scene, and it’s one of my favourite scenes I’ve ever done.”
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In a separate interview, Greenbaum shared that he always knew this would be a “pivotal” scene in the movie, so early on he started rehearsing it with Steenburgen and Johnson.
“The reveal that she’s not physically attracted to him is both really funny and incredibly devastating at the same time for our main character, and there’s nothing I love more” Greenbaum said.
“That’s such a sweet spot for me comedically and as a storyteller. … It’s a bit of a high wire to do, where it doesn’t feel like it’s a bit or you don’t believe it. And I think both of them played the scene brilliantly. … I share in Mary’s feelings that it’s one of my favourite scenes as well.”
Don Lake, Wayne Wilderson, Cleo King, Lennon Parham, Ed Harris, Jake Johnson, Chloe Fineman, Sean Clements, Josh Greenbaum, Mary Steenburgen, Aaron Chen and Martin Kove at Apple TV’s “The Dink” Los Angeles Premiere held at AMC Century City on July 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images)
Crafting an epic final pickleball match
While The Dink doesn’t shy away from taking the story to outrageous places, including the particularly clever dialogue, Greenbaum was also able to create a key sports movie element, the build up to some sort of dramatic finale match. Greenbaum stayed true to the form of those moments, but with a Dink twist for a final pickleball game between Dusty and Roddick.
“There hasn’t been a pickleball film yet, and so I got to kind of set the rules as to how we shoot it and how we cover it and how to make it feel big and cinematic and epic,” Greenbaum said. “I worked with my DP Carl Herse, and we looked at films like Rocky and Raging Bull, and certainly Challengers as well, … dramatic films, as to, how do they capture it.”
“And so we used a lot of those same techniques and tools, but with different lensing because the court is smaller and there are different challenges involved. We had our cranes, we had our high-speed, slow-motion cameras, and our drones. … It was really fun to try to dramatize those moments, the super close-up, like a spaghetti western of the eye and the sweat dripping in slow motion, and the ball spinning, and all of that.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 22: Lynne Marie Stewart attends as The Groundlings Honor the Late Pee-Wee Herman at The Groundlings Theatre & School on July 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lila Seeley/Getty Images)
Lynne Marie Stewart got to watch ‘The Dink’ before she died
While The Dink is a joyful comedic watch, Lynne Marie Stewart died in 2025 shortly after completing the film.
“She didn’t know she was sick. None of us knew she was sick, and they kindly took the film to her when she was in hospice and showed her how wonderful she was in it. And that meant a whole lot to her,” Steenburgen shared. “But she was just lovely and hilarious.”
Greenbaum also said that it was “very special” to be able to show Stewart her brilliant work in The Dink.
“I was devastated to learn that she was terminally ill shortly after filming, and so we reached out, spoke to her sister, and said, … ‘I don’t know if she’s up for it, but would she like to maybe see the film? Because she’s incredible in it and she’s so funny.’ And so her sister said yes. I got her a link, and she and her sister watched it together, and she loved it,” he shared.
“It was really wonderful that she got to experience such a great performance of hers in this film before she passed. Very emotional to know that she got to see it.”