Apple TV's new comedy, "The Dink," is being lauded as the greatest pickleball comedy ever produced, offering a humorous take on the sport's growing popularity and its clash with traditional tennis.

BRIAN VINER reviews The Dink: Pickleball? John McEnroe? A killer owl? This comedy really is a hoot!

[IMAGE1]

The film, which runs for 102 minutes and is rated PG, has earned a four-out-of-five-star rating. The review highlights its engagingly daft and often laugh-out-loud funny nature, noting that it is conveniently available to watch at home.

Pickleball, a sport often described as a simpler version of tennis played with a plastic ball, has seen a surge in popularity in the United States, with an estimated 36 million players. This rapid expansion has been viewed by some tennis purists as a threat to the established sport. "The Dink" directly addresses this conflict.

The story centers on Dusty, a middle-aged tennis coach portrayed by Jake Johnson. Dusty's aspirations of a professional tennis career were cut short by a wrist injury sustained during a match against Andy Roddick in his youth. He currently coaches at an exclusive country club owned by his estranged father, Chuck, played by Ed Harris.

[IMAGE3]Jake Johnson plays Dusty (right), a bumbling middle-aged tennis coach, whose boyhood aspirations to play at the highest level were shattered along with his wrist in an incident during a long-ago match against the rising Andy Roddick

When club members begin advocating for more pickleball courts, Chuck expresses outrage, calling pickleball "the coronavirus of sports." A match is then arranged to settle the dispute, mirroring the famous 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match.

Initially overlooked for the match, Dusty finds himself stepping in after a bizarre incident involving a killer owl and a subsequent wrist injury. His doctor, in a cameo by producer Ben Stiller, prescribes pickleball as a form of therapy.

The film also explores a potential romance between Dusty and his older pickleball partner, Candace, played by Mary Steenburgen. Andy Roddick makes an appearance as himself, and John McEnroe features in another cameo.

[IMAGE2]Aaron Chen as PJ and Jake Johnson as Dustin Boyd

While some comedic elements, such as the portrayal of Dusty's sidekick PJ by Aaron Chen, may not land with all viewers, the overall sentiment is that "The Dink" is a thoroughly enjoyable and humorous film. The reviewer likens its charm to that of the 1986 American football comedy "The Best Of Times."

"The Dink" is available on Apple TV starting Friday.