Though similarly titled, Break Point is not to be confused with the upcoming Christmas release of Point Break. The latter is an update of the 1991 Keanu Reeves-Patrick Swayze action heist film, while Break Point is an innocuous sports dramedy about estranged brothers who mend their relationship, and their personal lives, through semi-pro tennis. Though not a remake, Break Point feels like one—recycling themes, storylines and characters that we’ve seen before. Were it not for a couple of engaging performances and a few moments of ribald humor, the film could have ended up in the total loss column.
Directed by TV veteran Jay Karas (Workaholics, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Break Point stars Jeremy Sisto as Jimmy Price, a washed-up, low-ranking doubles tennis player. His immature antics on and off the court have cost him all playing partners and earned him persona non grata status on the pro circuit. Jimmy knows he’s aging out of tennis, but wants one more run at the U.S. Open. To get there, he must make it through two qualifying tournaments. As a last resort, he reaches out to his first partner—his estranged brother Darren (David Walton), a substitute teacher who dropped out of the tennis world a long time ago.
The brothers tentatively start playing and training together, their on-court game tactics mirroring the way they’ve lived their lives. Jimmy is a reckless run-and-gun player who amasses an equal number of double faults as aces. Darren is a more measured and cautious player, perfectly comfortable holding steady with a 20-hit rally. During their quest for a U.S. Open bid, Jimmy and Darren learn from and about each other, and unsurprisingly, the odd couple starts to win their matches and turn their off-court lives around.
Sisto and Walton have good on-screen chemistry, realistically playing siblings still coping with issues about lost tennis careers and their mother’s death. A low-key Walton plays the mopey Darren, a character that’s completely listless in comparison to the man-child, Jimmy. Sisto, who co-developed the story with screenwriter Gene Hong, is hugely entertaining as the immature, toe-picking, beer-guzzling Jimmy. He channels his inner Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) from HBO’s baseball-centric Eastbound & Down, creating an irritating, journeyman tennis player who entertains through his idiocy. In an early scene with Adam Devine (Workaholics, Pitch Perfect) as a tennis shop clerk, the two devise a “scrotum ball” rubbing technique, wherein Jimmy cuts holes in his tennis shorts for easy ball-on-ball access, as a way to get a mental edge on opposing players. Yes, it’s completely juvenile, but additional scenes like it could have added extra bounce to the tired storylines.