If you read the headline carefully, you won't be surprised to find that I'm positively gushing about David O. Russell's latest effort, American Hustle. Not only is it a perfectly cast film, it's one of the best 70s-era films I've ever seen. And no, this is not a perfect film, but it's wonderfully wicked at times and absolutely brilliantly acted by an ensemble cast that left me gobsmacked. Yep, I said gobsmacked. Points for using that in a sentence today?
When a movie gets the kind of overwhelmingly positive buzz that American Hustle has, I often fear a letdown, even when I'm doing everything I can to keep my expectations reasonable. For me, American Hustle just worked on nearly every single level. All of the critics' praise is deserved. It's a fantastic film, and one of the best of 2013 in my mind.
I won't bog you down with a lot of details, but know this: American Hustle is set during a pretty nasty time in America. People did awful things to get ahead, but even more so, to bring others down. Abscam was epic in scope, and this film is based (at least in part) on the scandal, which essentially involved using small time con men and crooks to bring down much bigger crooks. The FBI did all of this by any means necessary, and yes, questions about entrapment linger even now. The late 1970s were a strange time in America. We were fresh off of the Watergate scandal. The president got caught - so there was no doubt that lesser politicians could be easily bribed. No one trusted anyone. Everyone was on the take. American Hustle, to me, captures this era perfectly.
American Hustle is billed as a comedy, but it isn't a typical comedy. I see it more as a drama that offers a few laughs along the way. Know this going in and you'll be fine. The laughs come from the erratic, larger-than-life characters played by one of the best ensemble casts I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
Jennifer Lawrence deserves an Oscar nomination, if not a possible win, for her role in American Hustle as the nutter-than-nutty Rosalyn, wife of one of the small-time crooks I mentioned earlier - Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale). In a film that boasts some of today's greatest working actors, Lawrence manages, once again, to steal the show (just as she did in Russell's Silver Linings Playbook last year).
I'll also tell you that Jeremy Renner's performance as Newark Mayor Carmine Polito was a standout, as was Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser, Irving's right-hand woman. This, to me, is Renner's best performance yet. And how Adams managed to not have a total wardrobe malfunction wearing some of those low-cut jumpsuits is beyond me. Either way, Adams never fails to disappoint on screen. She blew me away in David O. Russell's The Fighter and once again, she blew me away in American Hustle.
How was Bradley Cooper in American Hustle? Oh, completely over the top as Richie DiMaso, an ambitious and disturbed FBI agent who forces Irving to help him catch various politicians taking bribes. I was already sold on this being Cooper's best film performance yet, even before Richie DiMaso goes off the rails and attacks his boss, Stoddard Thorsen (played wonderfully by Louis C.K.). I have to say, Cooper is getting better and better. He was fantastic in The Place Beyond the Pines and Silver Linings Playbook, and it's fun to watch him grow as an actor. I'm almost ready to forgive him for The Hangover Part III at this point. Almost.
American Hustle's biggest strength is its cast of characters, not unlike David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. Some might argue that Silver Linings is Russell's best work. I'm not sure about that anymore. It might just be American Hustle, a film that will surely earn him a Best Director Academy Award nomination. Other possible nominations: I'd say this is a Best Picture lock, and acting nominations could easily go to Jennifer Lawrence (I've already weighed in on this earlier), Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and maybe Amy Adams.
I realize that I often discuss only the bigger Oscar nominations, so let me include this as well: American Hustle will get a nomination for Best Makeup and Hair and probably another for Costume Design. It should win both. Period.
If you're a David O. Russell fan, see American Hustle. If you like any of the actors involved in this monster ensemble cast, see American Hustle. The hype, in my opinion, is completely deserved.
Photos courtesy of EW.com and Forbes.com
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