'Hustlers' A Review

Hustlers is a crime drama about a struggling stripper Dorothy aka Destiny(Constance Wu) who is taken under the wing of the more worldly Ramona(Jennifer Lopez). The two become friends and work the system but over time their angle goes from above board to criminal. An interview with Destiny in 2014 with reporter Elizabeth(Julia Styles) is used as a framing devise to flash back to 2007 when the Destiny and Ramona meet then their subsequent financial problems in the wake of the housing crisis which results in their illegal activities.

Wu puts in a good performance as the financially hamstrung lead just trying to make ends meat and provides some much needed emotional dimension however the script leaves something to be desired as far as character depth and back story. Lopez is utterly electric and outshines Wu a bit even though she is in the presumptive supporting role. It's Lopez's best performance, and most dynamic role for that matter, since Out Of Sight and she takes full advantage bringing all of her moviestar charm and undeniable charisma to the screen. Her introduction scene, an extended pole dancing routine, is one of the best scenes of the year. The two have great chemistry and this tale of working-class working-girl camaraderie works perfectly for the first half of the film. The other glorious stand out is Cardi B as fellow stripper Diamond but she is woefully underutilized and only appears on screen for a couple minutes. When the film changes in tone the actors don't falter but the script does.

The soundtrack is pitch perfect, the cinematography not particularly flashy but effective in making you feel as if you are apart of the group at the film's center and although by nature there are bodies on display there is little to no leering or exploitation of the setting. The film is mostly successful but stumbles in the second half of the film when the women engage in overtly criminal acts and the morality, machinations, and economics of the crimes aren't particularly investigated. The script attempts to maintain it's feel-good female-friendship tone and focus glossing over the disturbing lengths the titular hustlers eventually go to. Overall this is forgivable and, bolstered by Wu and Lopez's performances, remains engaging if not totally successful.

Fun, ambitious, if not altogether tonally consistent. Worth it for Lopez alone.

See It.