Here I go again on my own, contemplating whether or not I want to write about another movie I had high hopes for this year. It actually pains me to say bad things when I wanted it to be so good. From the current 94% critic rating on the Tomatometer, I am of the 6%.
After being caught, successful con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), and his British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), take a deal with FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) to bring down Jersey powerbrokers and mafia in American Hustle.
America's favorite genres, mobster and con artist movies, are combined to produce what is supposedly one of the best hustles in history (only some of it is based on a true story). Everybody loves a good take-down. Set in 1978, Hustle opens up with a nearly 5-minute intro of a balding Bale hooking up his comb-over at the Plaza Hotel. In fact, director David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter) gives many of the stellar cast members grand ethereal intros. And why not? They're the hottest names in Hollywood, donned with sparkles and side cleavage, and wild hair (chest and head).
The supreme actors are what saves American Hustle from completely falling flat. Doing what they can with the script handed to them, O. Russell's actors have come back to work with the director, their trust in him. Jennifer Lawrence as Christian Bale's fiery and hilarious wife stuns the audience yet again, coming off her Oscar win from last year's Silver Linings Playbook. She delivers her few scenes with conviction, and steals them from whomever is in the room. Bale, though, completely uses De Niro's voice over, in a much better film - Casino. Although, this could be due to what the script called for: a carbon copy of Goodfellas-meets-Casino. Bale is a phenomenal actor, yet his performance seems off in American Hustle. It feels too forced. It's too calculated; not as natural as it usually is. Amy Adams as Bale's charming con partner is solid gold. Adams shows new range, reminiscent of Sharon Stone's turn as an audience captivator and victorious seductress. But it is Bradley Cooper who shines in Hustle, alternating his performance from a ferocious fledgling FBI agent - to playful '70s Everyman. Cooper actually plays the character with whom the viewer sides. His Richie DiMaso owns the screen and demands our attention, making me want more Cooper screen time. This should have been his story.
It is all very stylized, which is to be expected with the era and genre that O. Russell is trying to convey. One of the biggest problems for me was that the pacing of the film was all over the place. It goes through a series of slow paced scenes, then switches to a different tone - igniting excitement in the viewer, until it loses its tone again. This happens throughout the film, leaving the viewer confused in what exactly American Hustle
is trying to be. The film starts to drag on and overstay its welcome. David O. Russell additionally uses far too many
close-ups and camera zooms, preventing us from watching each scene pan out from afar.
This is severely frustrating when it is overused and unnecessary. The film lacks an emotional connection - it is dangled in our faces, but chooses to rely on the glamorized portrayals.
David O. Russell's American Hustle had everything going for it - an entrapping and addictive era, classic rock and disco hits lined up, Oscar winners and nominees galore - yet I wanted more, more, more.
After being caught, successful con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), and his British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), take a deal with FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) to bring down Jersey powerbrokers and mafia in American Hustle.
America's favorite genres, mobster and con artist movies, are combined to produce what is supposedly one of the best hustles in history (only some of it is based on a true story). Everybody loves a good take-down. Set in 1978, Hustle opens up with a nearly 5-minute intro of a balding Bale hooking up his comb-over at the Plaza Hotel. In fact, director David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter) gives many of the stellar cast members grand ethereal intros. And why not? They're the hottest names in Hollywood, donned with sparkles and side cleavage, and wild hair (chest and head).
The supreme actors are what saves American Hustle from completely falling flat. Doing what they can with the script handed to them, O. Russell's actors have come back to work with the director, their trust in him. Jennifer Lawrence as Christian Bale's fiery and hilarious wife stuns the audience yet again, coming off her Oscar win from last year's Silver Linings Playbook. She delivers her few scenes with conviction, and steals them from whomever is in the room. Bale, though, completely uses De Niro's voice over, in a much better film - Casino. Although, this could be due to what the script called for: a carbon copy of Goodfellas-meets-Casino. Bale is a phenomenal actor, yet his performance seems off in American Hustle. It feels too forced. It's too calculated; not as natural as it usually is. Amy Adams as Bale's charming con partner is solid gold. Adams shows new range, reminiscent of Sharon Stone's turn as an audience captivator and victorious seductress. But it is Bradley Cooper who shines in Hustle, alternating his performance from a ferocious fledgling FBI agent - to playful '70s Everyman. Cooper actually plays the character with whom the viewer sides. His Richie DiMaso owns the screen and demands our attention, making me want more Cooper screen time. This should have been his story.
It is all very stylized, which is to be expected with the era and genre that O. Russell is trying to convey. One of the biggest problems for me was that the pacing of the film was all over the place. It goes through a series of slow paced scenes, then switches to a different tone - igniting excitement in the viewer, until it loses its tone again. This happens throughout the film, leaving the viewer confused in what exactly American Hustle
is trying to be. The film starts to drag on and overstay its welcome. David O. Russell additionally uses far too many
close-ups and camera zooms, preventing us from watching each scene pan out from afar.
This is severely frustrating when it is overused and unnecessary. The film lacks an emotional connection - it is dangled in our faces, but chooses to rely on the glamorized portrayals. David O. Russell's American Hustle had everything going for it - an entrapping and addictive era, classic rock and disco hits lined up, Oscar winners and nominees galore - yet I wanted more, more, more.
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