Everyone is talking about Hustlers, now out on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download, and Jennifer Lopez. Sure, she gives is a force of nature, a hurricane of power that must be reckoned with constantly through writer-director’s Lorene Scafaria (who scored a Hollywood Critics Association nod for her work) sensational film. But let’s not forget the subtle palpable power emitted by arguably the film’s headliner, Constance Wu.
Hustlers is one of the strongest sisterhood/friendship flicks that has hit screens in some time. There is something uniquely touching, tender and fantastically fierce about the bond showcased on the big screen between Wu and Lopez. Credit four things: The script and direction by Scafaria and Wu and Lopez bringing their A+ game. That’s a good thing as it validates the early electric buzz that this STX Entertainment release was worthy of all the hype. It is, and then some.
Wu is Destiny, a stripper at a New York City club where Wall Street types storm the place most evenings and are inhabited by even higher end souls on the weekend. The year is 2007 and as what Destiny describes in a narration/interview with Elizabeth (Julie Styles), a journalist penning a story about this entire scam, works as a fiercely effective narration. The drama alternates between what actually happed in the past as the years go by—through 2015—and this interview. This method works on several fronts. We get an “in hindsight” emotive response from Wu that illustrates how grounded she is and exactly what it is that would qualify as desperation in order to do the thing she and her crew did.
What did they do? Well, in a nutshell they took Wall Street raiders for a lot of cash. As is said a few times by various characters in this empowering tale, the money that is being stolen … is already stolen. They would lure these rich saps into the Champagne Room where they would pour drinks down their throats until they were “drunk enough to pull out the credit card and sober enough to sign the bill.” When you’re robbing the robbers, things can go swimmingly for a very long time.
There is a kinship that is as strong as blood, if not more so. Money is flowing, they are having a blast, bonding as a crew and it seems as if this could go on forever. No one has gotten hurt. No one has been ripped off who was willing to rear their heads to one, admit where and how it happened and two, call any sort of authority about it. The wife will love when that story becomes public. The ladies are careful, but speedbumps tend to happen, and it is how you respond to them that either launch you to a whole new level or drop you face first on the ground.
Even though this is a true story, and anyone can look up what happened, it would not matter. The tale is told so grippingly that the ending is never a foregone conclusion. Imagine that. A story that doesn’t play all its cards throughout the narrative but is so uniquely entertaining and engrossing that it grabs you in such a way that you have no idea where this train is going, nor do you want to know. This is an ecstatic ride too joyous to want to get off.
The way that Scafaria weaves times and action is like a master choreographer moving their dancers exquisitely in the most beautiful of movements. The helmer clearly did her homework and got to the bottom of this story in terms of what it was that truly made it tick, what made it compelling, thrilling and ultimately inspiring. May we all have friends as solid as what is seen and felt between Destiny and Ramona. Theirs is a kinship that burns in the deep corners of the soul, and as portrayed by Wu and Lopez, it is pure cinematic bliss. Their writer-director also intertwines moments throughout for the chorus behind the two leads to hit the high notes and create their own rich harmony. Among those are Keke Palmer’s Mercedes, Lili Reinhart’s Annabelle, Cardi B’s Diamond (a commanding big screen moment for the rapper) and in a stroke of casting genius, the character of Mother (Mercedes Ruehl) is just the maternal oversight these women need, both in the club and out in the world. It’s so great to see the veteran and fantastic actress Ruehl slaying it in such a joyous flick.
The soundtrack is an added plus. In a film like this it can add layers of emotive power with a rich score comprised of tunes that mirror the tone of each frame of film. By commencing her film with Control by Janet Jackson, Scafaria has let it be known what the audience is firmly in for during this salaciously sensational ride. It also works (listen to the lyrics!) on another level because it is repeatedly mentioned in the film, these are women who firmly want to be in control in every sense of that word. What they do throughout Hustlers is utterly defined by it! When Lopez finally gets her time on the screen, she has been but a whisper until that point, and she takes to the stage with Criminal by Fiona Apple, again a musical foresight is introduced that is utterly brilliant. Not to mention the song is impeccable for a seismic dance that sets the pace for what kind of money is potentially to be earned here by our new to the scene Destiny. Also fantastic is when filmmakers use Give Me More by Britney Spears and Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls.
Not to be left out is the incredibly rich decision by Scafaria to employ classical music heavily during certain sequences of the film. It gives it a level of class, sure, but there is an inherent heart pulling dramatic sense that arises from the centuries old notes doing what they do that is sure to elicit a strong response from the viewer in a way that no contemporary song or score composer can achieve. It’s brilliant.
There’s been a bit of Oscar talk about Lopez for this role. Yes, she is a thespian tsunami and it is her best screen performance since she sat in a car trunk with George Clooney in Out of Sight. She is terrific, beyond incredible, but we may be getting ahead of ourselves with the Academy Award nomination chat. Thanks to that buzz that emanated out of early screenings and the TIFF showing, I expected to be hit over the head by an anvil with her turn. It was heavy, but more like a mallet. Still strong but didn’t knock me out. Then again, that’s on purpose. This is Wu’s movie, with Lopez being a razor thin second. Hustlers is about what a person would do when they are put against the wall and tried to do everything right, while others do everything wrong and get away with it. At one point, someone says that not one of those Wall Street criminals are serving jail time from the 2008 crash that left countless homeless, bankrupt or worse. It is a study in human nature as much as it is a friendship foible.
The best line in the entire film arrives as the final statement uttered by anyone. Destiny is quoting her pal Ramona when she says, “This entire country is a strip club. There are those throwing the money and those doing the dancing.”
Hustlers is a flick that you will want to revisit over time, so purchasing it for the home video collection is a must. It also is a flick that stands on its own and doesn’t need a lot of bonus features bells and whistles. That is a good thing, because the home video release truly doesn’t contain any. But what it does have is a treasure trove of brilliance laid out by writer-director Scafaria.
Given that this film is her baby, in every sense of the word, having her commentary track be the only bonus feature of merit is a risk, but it pays off big time. Her insight is priceless and chronicles everything from shaping the story for the screen from the real life events, casting and why each soul was perfect for the role. The filmmaker also waxes poetic about the making of the movie and given that she’s offering this insight in real time a the movie plays, who needs a making-of featurette when you have the woman who made it dishing divinely?! Also, did you know that they shot the film in a real strip club? That wasn’t a set crafted just for the flick. Talk about authenticity, something the film innately has, but hearing about the process of making it from Scafaria.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: B