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Review: Hustlers

Think about it: What’s the destruction of the businessmen of Wall Street? The recession, a brand new and more successful competitor or the market collapsing like a house of cards? Well, writer/director Lorene Scafaria (The Meddler, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) provides you with her “Hustlers” the most intriguing answer to that question. Led by the astonishing Jennifer Lopez, this movie becomes an incredibly entertaining, vibrant and amusing one.

Money, money, money. It’s a rich man’s world

Meet Destiny (Constance Wu). A very classy woman living in an upstate neighbourhood in a fancy house. It seems like she has it all but your eyes deceive you. Being questioned by an interviewer (Cate Smit), we get the feeling that her life wasn’t always this glamorous. Let us tell you what happened. It wasn’t so long that Destiny worked in one of the most lucrative bars in New York. Sadly, due to not being an expert in dancing and the fierce competition, she’s still in the need of money. Especially because she has to take care of her grandmother. However, the salvation is near and comes in the stunning form of Ramona (Jennifer Lopez). She’s the hottest act in town and earns more money than any Wall Street guy can ever count. Destiny knows that you can always learn from the best and after grabbing together all her confidence, she approaches Ramona. The rest is history!

Destiny is now part of the hustlers’ elite: Ruling over men and their money, swimming in champagne and buying everything her heart desires. The dream life is happening right then and there! As Ramona would say: “They’re hurricanes!”. What a shame that the depression of Wall Street affects the whole economy, including their business. The women now need to be more creative to make sure that the money keeps on coming. They find the perfect solution: Starting to work on their own and just use the bar as their base. It seems like a very dangerous game to play but the hustlers aren’t afraid to take risks. For Destiny, there’s even more at stake now that she became a mother. How long before this game becomes too risky? How long before their dream turns into a nightmare?

Who runs the world? Girls!

A film about strong women, gracious and dedicated women need exactly that kind of actors to bring the story perfect to live. The casting team made sure that that was exactly was “Hustlers” got. The very first Hustler we meet is Destiny, played by the pleasant Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians”, “All the Creatures Were Stirring”). Wu brings out the emotional, loving but also devoted and insecure side of her character beautifully. When Destiny is introduced to Ramona, she really gets that “waaaw!” vibe and that’s exactly what we got thanks to the stunning Jennifer Lopez (“Shades of Blue”, “Lila & Eve”). There’s no denying that Lopez oozes confidence, glamour, and determination and she certainly elevates her co-star performances to a much higher level.

Who wants to watch this film to see Cardi B and Lizzo might be disappointed. They’re prominently used in both the trailer and poster but you can count their scenes in the actual film on one hand. Another tiny negative point when it comes to the characters is the nudity used in this movie. Yes, we’re aware that “Hustlers” is about women putting their bodies on display to please men and to get money but a little less flesh certainly wouldn’t have hurt this film.

The fast and furious

What do Wall Street and the Hustlers’ business have in common, apart from the men in fancy suits? A lot of money is going around in an immense fast-paced environment. It’s exactly that kind of vibe that the editing team of this film craftily and skilfully made with fast and abrupt transitions. Sometimes it goes a little bit too fast but that certainly didn’t stop us from enjoying the film. Just like the movie itself, the music and cinematography are vibrant, upbeat and exciting. There’s always something interesting happen in “Hustlers” that will keep you drawn to the screen. What a shame that in the last part of the film that bubbly vibe is decreasing and that the emotions aren’t fully there. Your attention might decrease a little bit towards the end of the film.

Academy Award-Worthy?

During the opening weekend, “Hustlers” made a $33 million debut and we’re sure that that number is just a small amount of what the movie will earn around the world. Some predict that Jennifer Lopez will be nominated in the “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” during the Academy Awards. We’re not 100% sure if we can agree with that but something we can agree on is that “Hustlers” is a movie you need to watch! It’s an incredibly entertaining, colourful and exciting film with captivating performances and a retro look.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Hustlers (Official Trailer)

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