‘The Dink’ sends Jake Johnson into a pickleball showdown
‘The Dink’ sends Jake Johnson into a pickleball showdown
The sports comedy pits tennis against pickleball in a battle for one very divided country club.
I’m already into “The Dink” because Jake Johnson getting pulled into a full-blown tennis versus pickleball war just sounds like a good time. He plays Dusty Boyd, a former tennis prodigy who’s now coaching kids at his dad’s country club and trying very hard not to disappoint him. But after an injury forces Dusty to try pickleball, he starts having way more fun than he expected, which is a pretty big problem when his dad thinks the sport is basically ruining society. You can watch “The Dink” when it drops on Friday, July 24 with a seven-day free trial of Apple TV.
How to watch ‘The Dink’
- When: Friday, July 24, 2026, 12:01 a.m. ET
- TV: Apple TV
- Stream: Watch with a seven-day free trial of Apple TV.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about ‘The Dink’
When will ‘The Dink’ come out on Apple TV?
“The Dink” premieres globally on Friday, July 24 on Apple TV. Apple hasn’t announced an exact release time, but its original movies usually show up around 12:01 a.m. ET. So if you’re ready for some pickleball chaos first thing in the morning, the movie should be waiting for you when you wake up… or watch it before you go to bed if you’re a night owl.
Can you watch ‘The Dink’ for free?
Yep. If you’ve never subscribed before, Apple TV offers a seven-day free trial, which gives you plenty of time to watch “The Dink” and poke around the rest of the service. You can sign up, watch Jake Johnson get dragged into the pickleball world, and then decide if you want to stick around.
Why do we recommend Apple TV for watching ‘The Dink’?
Because “The Dink” is an Apple Original Film, so Apple TV is the only place you’ll be able to stream it at home. Apple TV costs $13 per month, has no ads, and has built up a really fun (if relatively small) collection of original movies. Plus, this one has Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Ben Stiller, and an extremely serious fight over pickleball. Honestly, that’s a pretty easy sell.
Apple TV
Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV+) is a subscription video streaming service for $14.99 per month, offering a growing slate of original series, films, documentaries, and specials. Unlike other platforms that combine licensed titles with originals, Apple TV is built entirely around exclusive programming, making it the home of critically acclaimed hits such as “Ted Lasso,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” and “Silo.” Its lineup continues to expand with award-winning dramas, comedies, family-friendly shows, and blockbuster original films like “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Watch the trailer for ‘The Dink’
About ‘The Dink’
“The Dink” follows Dusty Boyd, played by Jake Johnson, a washed-up former tennis prodigy who now spends his days coaching unruly kids at his father Chuck’s suburban country club. Dusty is desperate to make his dad proud, so he happily joins Chuck’s crusade against pickleball, a sport Chuck sees as part of the decline of humanity. Then Dusty hurts his wrist, gets a very unexpected pickleball prescription from a doctor played by Ben Stiller, and suddenly has to give the sport he hates a real shot.
With help from his new partner Candace, played by Mary Steenburgen, Dusty starts to realize that pickleball might actually be fun. That leaves him stuck between his old tennis identity and this new world he never planned on joining. Throw in a battle over the future of the country club, Dusty’s childhood nemesis Andy Roddick, and Chuck demanding that the tennis versus pickleball debate be settled on the court, and things get ridiculous pretty quickly. Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell, Aaron Chen, and Ed Harris round out the cast, while Josh Greenbaum directs the movie from a script by Sean Clements.
The Dink
Desperate to save a struggling country club and earn his father’s respect, a washed-up tennis pro is compelled to break a sacred vow and do the unthinkable: play pickleball.