Small-time crime film tries but fails to shine
The 2008 financial crisis will likely be remembered as one of the most devastating events in modern history. While it doesn’t carry the same emotional weight as the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, its effects are likely as far reaching.
The attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. ushered in a new era of paranoia, endless war, and fear that fundamentally changed the country. It was something done to us by aggressors from the outside.
The financial crisis was self-inflicted by corporate greed and permissive governance, and due to that the fallout from it appears more under the surface.
Still, the world changed in fundamental ways, and while the American economy appears to be booming, the same risky behavior lurks underneath, due in at least part to the 2018 partial repeal of the Dodd-Frank legislation enacted to prevent further damage.
There have been several films that have tackled the subject of the financial crisis, from Margin Call to The Big Short. Hustlers, a new film starring Jennifer Lopez, is another such film that examines an overlooked industry impacted by the financial crisis and how some industrious thieves tried to even the playing field. The film is uneven, at best.
The narrative is framed as an interview by a woman named Elizabeth (Julia Stiles), inspired by real life journalist Jessica Pressler who broke the story in New York Magazine, and Destiny (Constance Wu), a young exotic dancer from New York. Destiny’s story is much like the story of many other sex workers—a smart girl with a tough childhood who wants to be independent and care for her family.
Thanks to the help of Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), a legend in the industry, Destiny learns how convince men to pay exorbitant amounts of money for a tease. She’s successful, for a time, and wealthy. Then a pregnancy derails her party lifestyle, and while she’s away, the entire world changes.
The 2008 financial crisis empties the pockets of Wall Street, meaning there’s no one left to drop $5,000 a night at a strip club.
When Destiny re-enters the workforce, the regular workers have been replaced by Russian immigrants who are willing to break the rules to make a measly $300. Destiny is back where she was before, making very little at the hands of men.
But all of this changes when she encounters Ramona once again. Ramona brings her into a new scheme, one that involves drugging rich men and robbing them blind.
The film is based on a true story, outlined in the article by Pressler, and is worth reading if you have the time. The film itself is less interesting. It’s hard to imagine how a film about Robin Hood style strippers ripping off Wall Street jerks could come off as boring, but I spent a lot of the film wondering how much longer it was going to be.
Some critics have called Hustlers a girly Goodfellas, but director Lorene Scafaria isn’t quite Martin Scorsese. The only other feature I’ve seen by Scafaria is Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which I enjoyed quite a bit.
She’s clearly a talented director but it seemed like the film focused less on the crime and more on the relationship between Destiny and Ramona. Additionally, the Oscar buzz surrounding Lopez’ performance feels strange.
Almost any actor in Hollywood could have given an equivalent performance and I never saw anything transcendent in her scenes. Perhaps they happened while I was looking at my watch. If anything, the focus on Lopez is undercutting the work done by Constance Wu, who showed more range, although she was admittedly given more to work with.
Regardless, it seems that I’m not the audience for this particular film. The theater was packed and I’d very much like to see more from Scafaria in the future. She’s a good director. Hopefully, the box office sales are enough to put her on a list for bigger projects.
I’d imagine there are plenty of people who might enjoy Hustlers for what it is—a small-time crime movie with an adequate cast and a unique perspective. Temper your expectations and pay no attention to the hype behind the performances and you might have a good time.
Or you could just go read Jessica Pressler’s article in New York Magazine.