Game, Set, Pickleball: Ben Stiller-Produced Comedy “The Dink” Serves Up July 24 on Apple TV
Jake Johnson stars as a washed-up tennis pro forced onto the pickleball court in a star-studded underdog comedy from the producer of Dodgeball.
The fastest-growing sport in America was always going to get its own underdog comedy, and The Dink steps up to the line. The pickleball-fueled laugher premieres globally on Apple TV on July 24, 2026, and with a Dodgeball-caliber pedigree behind it and a cast stacked with comedy ringers and real tennis legends, this looks like prime summer-streaming fun. As someone who appreciates a good sports comedy, I am ready to serve.
A Tennis Snob Meets His Match
The setup is pure underdog-comedy gold. Washed-up former tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd, played by Jake Johnson, has been reduced to coaching unruly children at his father Chuck’s suburban country club, with Ed Harris as the imperious dad. Desperate for his father’s approval, Dusty blindly supports Chuck’s vendetta against the new craze taking over the club: pickleball. But when Dusty reaggravates an old injury that takes away his ability to play tennis, he resorts to the unthinkable in the name of rehab. He not only tries pickleball, but, thanks in part to his enchanting new partner Candace, played by Mary Steenburgen, he finds himself actually enjoying it.
Torn between two worlds, Dusty is forced to face the ghosts of his past athletic failures, including his childhood nemesis Andy Roddick, who gamely plays himself. Ultimately he is drawn into a desperate battle for the future of the club, his father’s affection, and his very identity. It is a classic snob-versus-slob sports-comedy structure, with the prestige of tennis pitted against pickleball’s goofy populist charm, and Ed Harris apparently relishing the role of pickleball’s sworn enemy.
A Stacked Court
The talent here is the real draw. The Dink is a laugh-out-loud underdog story from producer Ben Stiller, who knows this lane well after starring in and producing 2004’s Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Stiller also appears on screen as the doctor who nudges Dusty toward the pickleball court. It is directed by Josh Greenbaum, the comedy specialist behind Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Strays, and Will & Harper, from a script by Sean Clements of Workaholics, who reportedly drew partial inspiration from rehabbing his own injuries in open pickleball mixers with retirees.
The ensemble is deep: alongside Johnson, Steenburgen, and Harris, the cast includes Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell, Aaron Chen, and Christine Taylor, plus Karate Kid veteran Martin Kove. And for sports authenticity, the film recruits two tennis greats to appear as themselves, Andy Roddick and John McEnroe, the latter a detail your kit may not have flagged.
Watch the Trailer
The official trailer is out ahead of the premiere, leaning hard into the tennis-versus-pickleball culture war and plenty of paddle action.
Where and When to Watch
Here is the state of play.
- Premiere: Friday, July 24, 2026
- Where: globally on Apple TV
- Format: feature film, roughly 1 hour 42 minutes
- Note: the film skips theaters and heads straight to streaming
The Vitals
The quick-scan version.
| Title | The Dink |
| Directed by | Josh Greenbaum |
| Written by | Sean Clements |
| Starring | Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Ben Stiller, Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell, Aaron Chen, Andy Roddick |
| Also featuring | John McEnroe, Christine Taylor, Martin Kove |
| Produced by | Ben Stiller, Jake Johnson, John Lesher, Rob Paris, Mike Witherill |
| Distributor | Apple Original Films |
| Runtime | About 1 hour 42 minutes |
| Premiere | July 24, 2026, on Apple TV |
| Learn more | Wikipedia and Apple TV |
The Synopsis
Washed-up former tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd has been reduced to coaching unruly children at his father Chuck’s suburban country club. Desperate for his father’s approval, Dusty blindly supports Chuck’s vendetta against the new craze taking over the club: pickleball. But when Dusty reaggravates an old injury, taking away his ability to play tennis, he resorts to the unthinkable in the name of rehab, trying pickleball and, thanks in part to his enchanting new partner Candace, actually enjoying it. Torn between two worlds, Dusty must face the ghosts of his past athletic failures, including childhood nemesis Andy Roddick, in a desperate battle for the future of the club, his father’s affection, and his very identity.
Where It Stands
The Dink arrives as sports comedies quietly become one of streaming’s most reliable genres, riding the same wave as Happy Gilmore 2 and Apple’s own golf series Stick. With Stiller’s Dodgeball instincts behind it, a ringer cast, and a sport ripe for affectionate ribbing, it shapes up as an easy, breezy summer watch. I will have more once it lands on Apple TV July 24.
