You can tell that Hustlers was going to be a fairly forgettable film based on the buildup to its release. It wasn’t sold as a great story, or one with brilliant performances across the board… or even one that was just an amazing film. It was sold as “Look a Jennifer Lopez’s abs” in the social media buildup.
And it’s a shame because there’s a great film waiting to come out of it. A really good one is what we get but there isn’t a next gear to take this from being good summer entertainment to Oscar level competitor.
Simple premise. In the buildup to the 2008 recession, a group of strippers realize how much money is being thrown around by stockbrokers, et al, involved in the market. When the market crashes, and the boom period for stripping ends, Jennifer Lopez and the plucky team of strippers figure a way to bilk as much money out of the remaining suckers.
Shenanigans ensue.
Everything about the film has a working class The Big Short sort of vibe to it. It’s glossier and is shot masterfully as well. It’s a film that falls into that “perfectly good” level of film; everything is solid, you like it, but is it something you really need to watch it again? Not as much.
A handful of EPK level pieces but nothing amazing.
presents . Written and Directed by Lorene Scafaria based off the novel “The Hustlers at Scores: The Ex-Strippers Who Stole From (Mostly) Rich Men and Gave to, Well, Themselves” by Jessica Pressler. Starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo, Cardi B. Run Time: 110 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: 12.10.2019
