★★★½
One thing that can’t be said about “American Hustle” is that
it’s a nice relaxing movie full of deep meaningful themes about life, love and
happiness. No, this is about as in-your-face as it gets. The latest from David
O. Russell (“Silver Linings Playbook”) is a fantastic look at people conning
each other and going behind everyone’s back. While some movies about con
artists are slick and cool (like “The Grifters,” “Matchstick Men” or “Ocean’s
Eleven”), “American Hustle” is loud, eccentric, obnoxious, maniacal,
unbalanced, hilarious and most of all fun.
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| Meet your crazy new friends from "American Hustle" |
Christian Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld, a very skilled con
artist living in New York City in the late 1970s. At a party one night, he
meets the beautiful Syndey Prosser (Amy Adams). They form a bond that turns
into love and eventually he invites her into the scamming business. Irving’s
scam is loaning people money for a non-refundable $5,000 fee but then never
delivering on the loan. Sydney fits in by pretending she’s a British woman
named Edith with connections to London banks.
One day, Sydney lets her guard down and brings in a man
(Bradley Cooper) looking for a loan. What she doesn’t know is he’s Richie
DiMaso, FBI Agent. She’s arrested and thrown in jail for fraud. Irving isn’t,
but Richie has other plans for him. He’ll let Sydney (who he really does think
is a British woman named Edith) go with no charges if Irving helps him con some
people he suspects are corrupt so the FBI can bring them down. One name is
Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), mayor of Camden, NJ.
Sydney doesn’t like this idea. She would rather flee the
country, but Irving won’t because of his adopted son from his estranged
marriage to Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). Sydney knows of Rosalyn but doesn’t
care for her because she’s absolutely crazy. She ultimately agrees to help
Irving and Richie with the con work, but she’s also going to con Richie right
back into having him fall in love with Edith just to aggravate Irving.
There’s a lot going on in “American Hustle” that might seem
overwhelming at times. It’s been noted that director David O. Russell was more
concerned with characters rather than plot, and that shows. Russell is credited
as a co-writer with Eric Warren Singer, but I believe the only thing he really
did to the screenplay was embellish the characters into larger-than-life
personalities and turn his cast loose.
What we’re left with is a film that lacks any structure. The
film moves along – at times briskly, at other times slowly – with one scene
after another. I tried to figure out where the act breaks were, but I couldn’t
seem to find them. So there’s no flow. Actually, a more appropriate phrase for
“American Hustle” is there’s no order to the madness.
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| Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams exchange unpleasantries |
But what fun that madness is! In a film that lacks
structure, “American Hustle” compensates for it with loud and boisterous
characters that are in your face from the moment this film starts. While
Russell’s approach to the story may be a little unorthodox, his approach to
these characters is what makes “American Hustle” great. He loves each and every
one of them and it shows. The film doesn’t take sides with anyone. No one is a
good guy and no one is a bad guy.
The relationships between these people are handled
delicately. The relationship between Irving and Sydney is especially
intriguing. It’s also added by two fine performances by both Christian Bale and
Amy Adams. These two continue their streak of turning in great performances
every time. The relationship with Irving and Carmine is also interesting to
watch. Irving isn’t the least bit interested in conning him, but he has no
choice at first. As the two get to know each other, and as their wives get to
know each other, Irving starts having second thoughts. Carmine is a very
passionate man and is loved by all his constituents. What’s great is Irving
never has a scene of wallowing regret about this to anyone. It’s all Bale
showing us through his eyes and his body language that he’s uncomfortable
entrapping this guy.
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence turn in the most
entertaining and by far the best performances in this film. They’re the loudest
and the biggest this film has to offer, and in a film that’s built on loud and
grand characters, that’s saying something. Cooper’s fast-talking and
hyperactive DiMaso is the focal point of every scene he’s in. It’s impossible
to take your eyes off him – either because of the phenomenal acting job Cooper
is doing, or because of the loud and outlandish costume and hairstyle Russell
puts him in. Jennifer Lawrence is a sensation, once again. Her scenes are few
in numbers, but they’re the most memorable of the film. Her character Roslyn is
insane, but it’s a joy to watch. She thinks she’s the life of the party and the
most important person in the room wherever she goes. “Thank God for me,” she
declares, a line delivered with perfection from Lawrence. She’s not the main
role in “American Hustle” but we’re once again reminded about the long and
successful career she has in front of her.
Despite its lack of structure, “American Hustle” is a fun
and exciting film that’s much different from anything we’ve seen from a
Hollywood studio this year. It’s a pleasure to watch Russell’s maniacal
characters in every situation they encounter throughout the story. It might be
a little long, and it certainly feels its length thanks to its lack of structure,
but it’s a great time getting to hang out with these crazy people for that
amount of time.
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