by Kelly Campbell
We’re just about a month out from perhaps the biggest pickleball premiere EVER.
Ben Stiller’s upcoming pickleball comedy The Dink is almost here, and if his track record with Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is any indication, we’re in for something special. This is shaping up to be the kind of movie that doesn’t just make you laugh but actually brings a whole community together and puts a sport on the map in a whole new way.
Now that the new trailer has officially dropped, we really can’t wait until we can watch the whole thing. We’re so excited to see how The Dink shines a spotlight on the sport we love, draws in a whole new wave of players, and gives the pickleball community a proper cultural moment to rally around.
Read on for everything we know about The Dink, a breakdown of the latest trailer, and some fun ideas for how to celebrate with your fellow pickleballers when it hits Apple TV+ next month.
The Dink: Everything We Know Today
The Dink will premiere on Apple TV+ on July 24th. It follows Dusty Boyd, a former tennis player who has traded his athletic dreams for coaching kids at his father Chuck’s country club. When pickleball starts encroaching on the club’s tennis courts, Dusty backs his dad’s crusade against it. That stance gets complicated when a recurring injury keeps him off the tennis court entirely, and his physical therapist points him toward pickleball. One lesson leads to another, and a new partnership with Candace starts to change his perspective on the game and a lot more. With the club’s future on the line and an old rivalry resurfacing, Dusty has to figure out who he actually is without tennis to define him.
“The Dink” was written by Sean Clements, directed by Josh Greenbaum, and produced by Ben Stiller (Red Hour Films), Rob Paris, and Mike Witherill (Rivulet Entertainment). The comedy was filmed in Los Angeles in late 2024. Stiller and Apple have teamed up for numerous successful releases, including Severance, which had 27 Emmy nominations.
In addition to Jake Johnson as the star, and Ben Stiller acting in a supporting role, notable cast members include: Ed Harris (The Truman Show, Apollo 13), Chris Parnell (SNL, 30 Rock, Anchorman), Chloe Fineman (SNL, Babylon), Mary Steenburgen (Elf, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens, Ratatouille, Parks and Recreation), Lynne Marie Stewart (Pee-wee’s Playhouse, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and Christine Taylor (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Zoolander, The Brady Bunch Movie).
This Week’s New Trailer
“An epidemic is sweeping across our once great nation…and its name is pickleball”
“It’s like tennis, but easy.”
While we might not totally agree with that sentiment, the trailer for The Dink gives us a clear picture of the humor and tone we can expect from the film. It feels like we’ve been talking about The Dink forever, so the new trailer that dropped this week is a welcome sneak peek to hold us over until we can finally watch the whole thing.
This is the longest and most detailed promo we’ve seen for the film so far, and it does a good job of setting the scene. We get a sense of Dusty’s character, the club dynamic, and a classic underdog setup. We even saw a clip of Ben Stiller’s character writing Dusty a prescription for, you guessed it, pickleball.
Honestly? It looks pretty good. Yes, some of the jokes lean into pickleball being the butt of the punchline, but we’re secure enough in our love for this sport to laugh along. The pickleball community seems to agree. Major brand JOOLA shared the trailer (if you look closely, you’ll see the JOOLA logo a few times on paddles throughout), and it’s also getting great coverage from non-pickleball sources like Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. Within just a few hours of the trailer dropping, it had racked up over 50,000 views on YouTube. The comment section is full of positive reactions and overall excitement for the film.
This isn’t the first pickleball movie or show we’ve seen, but it looks like it could be the most mainstream one yet. Between the star-studded cast, the legacy Stiller built with Dodgeball, and the support pouring in from pickleball brands and recreational players alike, The Dink has all the makings of a summer hit for everyone, pickleballers and newbies included.
If you haven’t gotten a chance to see it yet for yourself, check out the official trailer:
Watch Party Ideas
One of the reasons we’re most excited for The Dink is the opportunity it provides to gather with new and seasoned pickleballers. Something this huge will unite us, and likely invite others to join the pickleball community. Think of it as the perfect excuse to get your crew together, whether they’re fellow dinkers or people you’ve been trying to recruit to the courts for months.
Whether you plan to watch by yourself, with your clubmates, or with some non-pickleball-playing family and friends, here are some ideas to turn the premiere into a summer pickleball watch party.
Set the scene with dink decor. Transform your space with these pickleball-themed decorations: Pickleball garland banner, pickleball centerpieces, pickleball party plates, pickleball candy bar stickers.
Grab some pickle-themed snacks. Whether you want to actually go the pickle route with pickle-flavored snacks or want to add some pickleball-themed food accessories, these are some great options: Pickle Balls corn puffs, pickleball court charcuterie, pickle popcorn, pickleball candy, pickle martini (21+), cupcake toppers, and cocktail toothpicks.
Invite a newbie. This is genuinely one of the best recruiting tools pickleball has ever had. Bring someone who has never touched a paddle and let the movie do the work for you. Follow it up with an invite to play the next morning.
Host a celebratory tournament before or after. Book a court for the day after the release and make it a full pickleball weekend. Nothing beats watching a movie that fires you up and then actually going out to play.
Let us know what you think of the trailer, and what you’re hoping for most when it comes to The Dink.
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