If you mashed up ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ and ‘The Bad News Bears’, you might be in the ballpark of this addiction dramedy starring Johnny Knoxville. Far from his ‘Jackass’ roots, Knoxville proves he has some decent chops in this predictable but still effective effort about the residents of a halfway house who band together on the softball field to try to save their threatened facility. Writer-director Lije Sarki balances the serious with enough light (and black) comedy to give it the gravitas it needs to succeed, and its raw, gritty feel pulls you in even more.
3/5 stars