|
Let’s get something out of the way. Yes, I am a guy, writing a review about a movie that centers around a group of women that work at a strip club, where nudity is seen throughout; yes, I am not above being entertained by colorful visuals and beautiful people; and yes, I purposefully chose this movie over something more “serious” like The Goldfinch. That being said, I enjoyed the movie.
Directed and written by Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers centers around a group of women who steal from the rich in order to better their lives; the group is run by Jennifer Lopez’s Ramona and Constance Wu’s Destiny. Through tampered drinks and peer pressure that only lustful men could fall for, these women run their business with a strip club as their backdrop, obtaining ridiculous amounts of money in the process. |
AMC Burbank 16
|
Not before long, the consequences of their actions catch up to them, and Wu and Lopez must face their ultimatum: family or money. Based on true events, this tale of scheming and hustling, while not perfect, gives a refreshing take on representation regarding both diversity and the adult industry.
As I said before, I enjoyed the movie, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t see its problems. While the movie wasn’t a full two hours, it felt rather long to watch. At first, watching Lopez and Wu steal from the wealthy scumbags of Wall Street is just as satisfying as seeing their rise to riches unfold, but it soon became apparent that the story was getting repetitive. Wu and Lopez go in circles of getting screwed out of a steady profit, figuring out how to more effectively steal from men through drugs, reveling in the success by spending their earnings on clothes, cars, and apartments, and then having the weight of the world crash down on them, whether it be a financial crisis, or simply Lopez’s hubris of greed for money. While normally this would be a fine, steady arc to have in a movie, the fact that the same cycle happens beat for beat multiple times gets tiresome to watch.
There were a few times when the movie felt like an expensive music video, with scenes that don’t forward the plot in any way other than to show some slow motion and pretty colors, such as in one of the many montages in the movie. Wu, Lopez, and their group of hustlers had just successfully got back into the routine of stealing from the rich, and what follows is series of mostly slow-motion clips of the women dancing and spending money. Considering we had already previously seen them splurge on money previously in the movie, the montage came off as filler rather than plot driven.
As I said before, I enjoyed the movie, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t see its problems. While the movie wasn’t a full two hours, it felt rather long to watch. At first, watching Lopez and Wu steal from the wealthy scumbags of Wall Street is just as satisfying as seeing their rise to riches unfold, but it soon became apparent that the story was getting repetitive. Wu and Lopez go in circles of getting screwed out of a steady profit, figuring out how to more effectively steal from men through drugs, reveling in the success by spending their earnings on clothes, cars, and apartments, and then having the weight of the world crash down on them, whether it be a financial crisis, or simply Lopez’s hubris of greed for money. While normally this would be a fine, steady arc to have in a movie, the fact that the same cycle happens beat for beat multiple times gets tiresome to watch.
There were a few times when the movie felt like an expensive music video, with scenes that don’t forward the plot in any way other than to show some slow motion and pretty colors, such as in one of the many montages in the movie. Wu, Lopez, and their group of hustlers had just successfully got back into the routine of stealing from the rich, and what follows is series of mostly slow-motion clips of the women dancing and spending money. Considering we had already previously seen them splurge on money previously in the movie, the montage came off as filler rather than plot driven.
Courtesy of STX Films
While I didn’t really have any issues with the characters in the film, Lopez did have a daughter in the movie that wasn’t quite needed. At first, it appears to mirror Wu’s struggle to raise her daughter throughout the movie, but as the movie progresses, Lopez’s daughter becomes more of an afterthought, as we only get one scene where we see Lopez being a mom, whereas Wu’s decisions almost always revolve around the betterment of her daughter.
The last issue I had with it comes to the marketing of the movie rather than the movie itself. All the trailers present this movie as a colorful, fun romp of women hustling rich men into giving them all their unearned money. What the trailers don’t reveal is how serious and sometimes depressing the movie gets. Much like the Magic Mike series, Hustlers’ marketing hides a serious struggle of what it means to be in the working class, with an ending that doesn’t feel as happy as it could have been. In my opinion, I do think that if they sold the movie as both fun and serious rather than just the former, it might have gotten more audience members, but I could be wrong. Interesting enough there were more women than men in the audience when I watched it, but then again, maybe the idea of strippers and nudity wasn’t enough to sway men to watch a movie where they get swindled and robbed.
The last issue I had with it comes to the marketing of the movie rather than the movie itself. All the trailers present this movie as a colorful, fun romp of women hustling rich men into giving them all their unearned money. What the trailers don’t reveal is how serious and sometimes depressing the movie gets. Much like the Magic Mike series, Hustlers’ marketing hides a serious struggle of what it means to be in the working class, with an ending that doesn’t feel as happy as it could have been. In my opinion, I do think that if they sold the movie as both fun and serious rather than just the former, it might have gotten more audience members, but I could be wrong. Interesting enough there were more women than men in the audience when I watched it, but then again, maybe the idea of strippers and nudity wasn’t enough to sway men to watch a movie where they get swindled and robbed.
|
Hopefully those criticisms don’t dissuade people from checking out the movie, because I think it has much more to offer than what’s seen at face value. Wu and Lopez were phenomenal in the movie, perfectly portraying the high and lows of two women hustling their way through life. I actually saw myself completely buying into Lopez’s acting, rather than a usual issue I have with certain actors where I just see them playing a character rather than only seeing the character (e.g. Tom Cruise and Beyoncé).
The supporting cast is just as good. Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart were able to hold their own against the more seasoned actors, and though somewhat underused, Julia Stiles, Lizzo, and Cardi B were just as believable in their roles. Todd Banhazl’s cinematography and Kayla Emter’s editing were so wonderfully stylistic that it was able to keep my attention throughout its runtime. The colors and glamour of a lot of the scenes are stunning, which perfectly juxtaposed the grey, depressing reality set scenes that show the true hardships these women go through outside of the strip club. The humor was well timed, the music elevated the movie rather than serving as a distraction, and the pacing allowed for a coherent back and forth narrative told from the perspective of a future Wu retelling her story to Julia Stiles’ Elizabeth. The editing also presented some different takes on how to display certain scenes that keep the movie from being too familiar. Some examples include Wu and Stiles getting audibly censored when speaking the name of one of the victims of the hustle, as well as a scene where Wu and Lopez are being set up by one of their underlings, and all of the audio sounds like what would be heard if one was listening to the wire that the underling was wearing. |
Courtesy of STX Films
|
Courtesy of STX Films
|
Courtesy of STX Films
|
Courtesy of STX Films
|
|
Interestingly enough, one of the most surprising aspects of this movie is through its many forms of representation. Hustlers stands as one of the few movies that doesn’t have any shame when it comes to representing the adult industry. Outside of the main hustle involving stealing from the rich, the women still primarily work at a strip club and at the beginning of the movie were strippers themselves. At no point in the movie is the job of a stripper shown as degrading or less noble than any other job, even shown to be more honest than the rich men who make their money through dirty methods, as Lopez puts it perfectly by saying, “These Wall Street guys, you see what they did to this country? They stole from everybody. Hard working people lost everything, and not one of these douchebags went to jail.”
The core women never clash over petty reasons like beauty or jealousy, instead showing a real sisterhood that keeps them afloat throughout the story. Their hopes and dreams are never seen as laughable, but instead rather attainable goals, such as Lopez’s want to make denim swimsuits, which does appear to be somewhat successful as the film progresses. The film’s decision to accurately show the struggles these women go through is refreshing. Their jobs are jobs, they put in hours, they have their own issues, it’s not just a superficial career where they make money off being naked in front of men. The cast is rather diverse, with the group of women made up of an Asian American, a Latina American, and a few African Americans. As an Asian American myself, it is nice to see an Asian character starring in a movie such as this, as well as not being pigeonholed into a stereotypical, socially awkward nerd that is either super smart or the supporting best friend of another character. With the likes of 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Searching, we’re slowly getting to a better form of Asian representation in the general movie market. |
Courtesy of STX Films
Courtesy of STX Films
|
Hustlers serves as one of the underrated movies of 2019, with a heart that goes beyond the superficiality of bare skin women with money. The production value and care that went into this movie allows for an enjoyable movie going experience for general audiences while still being a work of art for any “cinephiles”. I do recommend seeing this movie if possible, with my personal rating being 7.5 out of 10 stars.
All in all, Hustlers is a movie that shouldn’t be ignored, with honest representation and strong storytelling that will for a second allow you to forget about your life outside, and instead fall into the wonderful colors that is the life of a group of women getting rich. Don’t think about what others will think, throw caution to the wind and take a chance on this movie, as Lopez’s Ramona says, “The game is rigged, and it does not reward people who play by the rules.” So, in the spirit of having a good time, go break some rules.
All in all, Hustlers is a movie that shouldn’t be ignored, with honest representation and strong storytelling that will for a second allow you to forget about your life outside, and instead fall into the wonderful colors that is the life of a group of women getting rich. Don’t think about what others will think, throw caution to the wind and take a chance on this movie, as Lopez’s Ramona says, “The game is rigged, and it does not reward people who play by the rules.” So, in the spirit of having a good time, go break some rules.
Courtesy of STX Films
<< Prev
|
Next >>
|
|
Links |
7500 |
|