When Hustlers ended, I was such a state of delight that I could have watched the whole film all over again. Because not only is it thoughtful and poignant, it’s an effortlessly engaging and entertaining piece of filmmaking from start to finish. Inspired by the 2015 New York magazine article “The Hustlers at Scores” by Jessica Pressler, writer and director, Lorene Scafaria, tells the story of a group of strippers who were caught running an operation that involved them finding wealthy men, drugging them, and maxing out their personal and company credit cards. An operation that ran fairly smooth before it began falling apart.
These strippers weren’t always criminal, as we find out with our central character, Destiny (Constance Wu), who is just a girl trying to make ends meet, and take care of her grandmother. Things aren’t going great, though. As she is forced to give cuts of her earnings, her income isn’t where she wants it to be. That changes when she feasts her eyes on one of the veteran strippers, Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), who is introduced in a jaw dropping sequence where she performs her routine and works the crowd like a master. Ramona soon takes Destiny under her wing, and things are quickly picking up.
At least…until the financial crash of 2008 hits, and a lot of their rich clients have stopped coming by the club. The two lose touch for a bit, Destiny has a child with a guy who is no longer around, and is back to where she started. But after meeting up with Ramona, she is given the chance to get back to the high life, which just so happens to involve Ramona and her crew – Annabelle (Lili Reinhart) and Mercedes (Keke Palmer) – getting in touch with old clients, meeting them at bars where they are drugged, and cleaned out by the girls. Destiny accepts, but once again, the high doesn’t last forever.
Even by the description, it’s easy to see the Martin Scorsese influences, and that’s without even getting into the narration and cutaways to Destiny being interviewed by a reporter, Elizabeth (Julia Stiles), about the whole ordeal. Scorsese has had many imitators over the years, and it makes sense, the style works, but many ultimately ring hollow because there’s not much of a larger point being made. Scafaria avoids this by not only bringing a distinctly and unabashedly feminine perspective, but also takes a pointed look at economic disparity, and the forces that led these women to take this path.
Once you see Adam McKay’s name as one of the producers, the vehemently furious angle against the 1% makes sense, since that is a common theme in his recent work. That focus on financial hardships, and the lack of consequences for many of these stock brokers and CEOs gives the film a timely edge that reflects the experiences and frustrations of many people across the country. It’s not particularly subtle about these themes, but this isn’t the kind of story that asks for subtlety to begin with.
It’s also worth noting that the lack of subtlety is by no means a substitute for nuance. One of the driving elements of the film isn’t so much the details of the crime, it’s the bond between Destiny and Ramona. Scafaria explores their relationship with so much humanity and empathy, giving us glimpses into their lives, their desires, their hopes. Wu and Lopez are both wonderful in the film, and work incredibly well together. However, it is ultimately Lopez who walks away with the film. It’s easily her best performance, and the experience of watching it feels like it’s the kind of role she’s been needing her whole career, one that fully takes advantage of her confident, Bronx swagger. It’s a joy to behold.
Given how the film certainly wears its influences on its sleeve, the film can be considered formulaic. The cutbacks to the interview between Elizabeth and Destiny were a bit sloppy at first, but the payoff is great. I also wish the film chilled out a bit at a couple points where we could get a more deeper sense of some of the girls’ day-to-day, especially in times when Destiny is struggling, trying to raise her child. I was also hoping to see more follow up with certain details that were given about the characters, but the film is quick to get things moving. Plus, the early appearances from Cardi B and Lizzo were oh so brief. The thing is these “issues” don’t really register as such when you’re watching it because the filmmaking is so confident you are easily swept up in it, and more willing to overlook certain areas that could’ve been expanded upon more.
I was very intrigued by Hustlers given the nature of the story, and I am happy to say it did not disappoint in the slightest. It’s a fantastic film, and easily among the very best I’ve seen this year. It’s stylish, all the way from its fabulous costumes to neon soaked sets to its dazzling tracking shots to pitch perfect needle drops, but it never forgets the humanity of the characters. It approaches these characters with empathy and a sense of agency, allowing them to speak for themselves, so we can get an understanding of their actions, while not necessarily letting them off the hook. It’s funny, it’s touching, it’s smart, and it has a lot to say. By the time we get to the end, Ramona delivers the killer final line (which I won’t give away here), and it made me think of another stellar crime film that is just as unsubtle about its commentary on capitalism and the financial crisis, Killing Them Softly. The two would make an amazing double feature, and the way the final line in Hustlers echoes the one in Killing Them Softly was just a cherry on top of a great picture – “America’s not a country, it’s just a business. Now fucking pay me.”