American Hustle will probably never be considered an American classic. It’s original, has a great cast, and a satisfying ending, but even with all those factors it seems the film is missing the ability to be memorable.
After leaving the theatre, only picture Christian Bale’s nasty comb over and supersized hairy gut was the only lasting image. It was a great movie, but spent more time focused on the actors than the story.
Every actor in the film deserves credit for stretching their abilities. Jennifer Lawrence, turns from America’s sweetheart to a conniving, ignorant housewife who brought more to the movie than expected. Bradley Cooper’s performance as a slime ball cop with an unmatchable ego was another highlight.
Bale, who has always been able to mold himself to fit any character, has done it once again. Amy Adams, though, was the MVP of the movie. Handling a character that had to switch not only her accents, but also love interests, she was manipulative, loyal, clever, and seductive. A triple threat wouldn’t begin to describe this role. This movie even had a great supporting cast including Michael Pena, Louis C.K. and Jeremy Renner.
Is American Hustle worth the trip to the theater? No, save the time and money and wait for it to come out on DVD. However, it is a must see (at some point). Full of tension, confusion, and anticipation, Hustle is like a bowl of lucky charms, you eat it for the marshmallows, not the cereal. The cast is really what made this worth the watch. If they wanted a better movie they should have given more thought to the plot other than, “never try to con a con artist.”