Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner
Written by: Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
Let’s start off with a bang! Chest hair, plunging v-necks, an untouchable soundtrack and the best comb-over/toupée combo to ever grace my eyes just scratches the surface of American Hustle.
Written by David O.Russell and Eric Warren Singer, American Hustle is based loosely on the Abscam sting operation of the late ’70s early ’80s, where a con artist helped the FBI catch sticky-fingered members of Congress taking bribes. (There’s a “Sticky Bandits” Home Alone joke rolling around in there somewhere). Russell brings together his favourite actors to form a truly superb ensemble; Christian Bale and Amy Adams (The Fighter, 2010) and Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, 2012). He definitely hit the jackpot because this foursome is a match made in heaven. Did I mention Robert De Niro and Louis C.K. are also in this mix? He’s been known to say that he likes to focus on character development over plot and this method has brought him a lot of success thus far. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Cut to the opening scene of a, to put it lightly, very rotund Christian Bale as Irving Rosenfeld meticulously grooming a toupee to perfection. He means serious business with his hair as much as he does with the fake art and false bank loans that he makes a living off of. He meets Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and it’s an instant connection, complete with eye-gazing and Duke Ellington. When Irving reveals what he does for a living, Sydney jumps on board and kicks their relationship and his conning into high gear. Sporting a new persona as Lady Edith, a Londoner with impressive banking connections and a fake but convincing English accent, she becomes a viper in a v-neck dress that won’t quit.
Naturally, when fraudulence and chemistry is at its peak and they begin to have some serious fun…they get caught…by the tightly permed FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). Oh that head of hair. One way to describe Cooper’s performance is that he’s simply insane. He’s up and down, neurotic, overly ambitious, greedy for recognition and talks without taking breaths. When he inveigles Irving and Sydney to help expose conmen Congressmen (like Mayor Carmine Polito played by Jeremy Renner), things start to get a little unhinged. Alliances change and you’re left thinking, “Wait, are they conning me now?”. To put the cherry on top of this already delicious cast is Lawrence, who waltzes in as Irving’s wife, Rosalyn, and sits on the sidelines like a ticking time bomb. Sitting at home with her son, fawning over her nails, she still pays enough attention to her husband that she could blow a hole in the entire operation if she wanted to.
Through most of the movie, the actors spend a lot of time bouncing intense and humorous dialogue off each other in pairs (Adams and Bale, Adams and Cooper, Lawrence and Bale, you get it) and each pairing is dynamic and entrancing in its own way. Bale is extremely convincing and I would quickly dub him the King of physical transformation. Adams comes off as the heart of the movie and she gives a truly perfect and vulnerable performance. (I think Adams may be one of those actresses that people tend to underestimate though.) Cooper has an uncanny ability to be hysterical without really doing anything? By nothing I mean that he’s somehow mastered subtle comedy which is a relief from the overworked, just plain stale comedy in some of his previous movies…Yes I’m looking at you Hangover 2 & 3. Lawrence is the “it-girl” at the moment and personally, I think will continue to reign supreme. She really can do no wrong and consistently manages to steal the spotlight time and time again. It’s really a great blend of music, striking cinematography, sequencing and is authentic to the mid ’70s era/vibe so I think Russell succeeded in what he set out to do.
My only qualm with the film is that it’s a bit long and during some bits you struggle to keep up with names and faces that ultimately don’t matter in the end. Eep!
But, I give him an A+ for creating such driven, cantankerous and for lack of a better word, ‘real’ characters. The actors have done such a phenomenal job connecting with their characters that you want to cheer for the ‘bad guys’. You willingly strap into the roller-coaster of imploding and exploding characters and when you get to the top, the drop is definitely worth all the wait.
I must add that apart from falling in love with the entire essence of the movie, there’s also a soundtrack woven in that blew my mind. Seriously, have a listen.
So what’s the verdict?
A lot of the reviews/opinions seem to be that people either love it or hate it. To me, it’s a definite must-see.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be calling your microwave a ‘science oven’, wanting to desperately know the end of the ice-fishing story and raving about this movie for days after.
What are your thoughts on American Hustle? Boring, overhyped or just right?
Leave a comment here or on the ColourmeMovie Facebook page. ^_^
Disclaimer: Images/Gifs via Yahoo Movies and Tumblr. I do not own any of these.
colour me ♠ movie 