Hustlers

J-Lo is particularly amazing, but for me the bigger draw was the rest of the cast. Constance Wu is also quite good playing Destiny, the protagonist of the story (though J-Lo is without question both the standout and the star). I loved Crazy Rich Asians last year, and subsequent viewings have made me realize the strength of Wu’s lead performance in that film. She’s equally good here, playing a far less virtuous character. (It’s not being a stripper that makes Destiny’s virtue questionable. Even being a thief isn’t necessarily the worst thing. But I have some serious qualms about some of her other behavior.) Wu is certainly an actress to keep an eye on. I’m quite sure she intends to win an Oscar for something in the future, and she just might pull it off.

I was also curious to see Cardi B and Lizzo, though their involvement is, perhaps, over-hyped. Neither has a huge role, though they’re both definitely actually in the movie.

In the supporting cast, Keke Palmer is the standout.  I also really liked Wai Ching Ho as Destiny’s grandmother.  Lili Reinhart is pretty charming as the co-conspirator with the weak stomach.  And I was surprised and pleased to see Mercedes Ruehl show up as the strippers’ den mother.  (She’s one of the stars of What’s Cooking? that amazing Thanksgiving movie I was raving about in last week’s review, and I haven’t seen her for a while.)  Another pleasant surprise was Devin Ratray (aka Buzz from Home Alone).  I recognized him because he looks the same as he did in Nebraska a few years ago, but he actually has a decent sized part in this.  It’s nice to see him play something other than a bully.

The ensemble is excellent, and the material is good.  Oddly, for a wildly entertaining movie about strippers that includes actual stripping, this movie is not sexed up or sleazy or even focused on sex.  It is the most non-licentious stripping movie ever (though it does make robbery look like the American dream).  None of the dancing for men is erotic (for the audience).  If anything, the movie made me admire the wiliness of the dancers and feel terribly sorry for the men (even before they started being drugged and robbed).  (Isn’t it sad that the people they throw money at so they can feel big and important don’t respect them at all?)  Most of the focus is on money and power, taking control and not being used.  Destiny and Ramona are the most oblivious pair since Emerson and Thoreau (the Transcendentalists who wanted to be independent, rugged individualists in a club).  Ramona and Destiny want to be dependent on no one together (even though Destiny clearly wants Ramona’s protection and guidance, and Ramona appears to be in love with Destiny (though she may just be a particularly convincing sociopath) (and possibly both)).  If you think there are a lot of parenthetical asides in that sentence, you’ll understand when you see the movie.  In a world of shameless display, what is most meaningful is conveyed with almost overstated subtlety. 

The behavior of the guys on Wall Street is appalling.  The behavior of the strippers becomes almost worse, though oddly, you’re still kind of rooting for them, even as you watch their gradual slide into undeniable moral turpitude.  It’s a little too hard to like Destiny, and much, much too easy to sympathize with Ramona.  So this is basically a feel good movie about horrible things that makes you laugh and care even as you become increasingly uneasy.

The soundtrack is fantastic.  (I like the odd pairing of the dance music and the Chopin.  It’s like watching The Godfather with strippers.)  I also like the pink neon of the credits.  This is a shockingly good movie about a morally defunct world.

Funniest Scene:
The funniest moment in the entire film belongs to Keke Palmer. I nearly died watching her scream, “No!” and run away. This didn’t have to be as funny as it is. She makes the moment hilarious (and one of the more relateable in the movie).

Best Scene, Visually:
I possibly have never seen anything better in my life than our introduction to J-Lo in this movie. I don’t mean her first big dance. I mean the scene when we get to meet her when she’s not performing (though surely this is a kind of performance, too). We are treated to such an over-the-top tableau here. I immediately broke into a grin, stifled a laugh, then leaned over and whispered to my husband, “Oh this is so meme-able.” (I can’t come up with anything really good, but surely someone will. Maybe something like, “Other girls: I hope I’m not overdressed for this. Me:” and then you see a still of J-Lo sitting here in her fur, cigarette aloft.)

Honestly, if I were Jennifer Lopez, I’d be emphasizing how much I enjoyed my SUPPORTING role in this film all over the place, then making a big push for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. This movie is probably going to make a ton of money. Our Thursday night showing sold out, and the theater added another screen. The people watching with us seemed really into the movie. If Jennifer Lopez is going to win an Oscar, I think now is the time.

What makes her brilliant in this role is that Ramona seems so crazily over-the-top in moments like these. The character is larger than life, oozing charisma and inherently a spectacle, and the actress brings that with seeming ease. But Ramona is also the most real, human character in the story. (Well, I also found Julia Stiles masterfully convincing as the woman who went to Brown and sits and listens to people. That role is perfect for her!)  (I actually really like Julia Stiles.  I even used to like her a little extra because my sister hated her so much.)  (Not to spite my sister, but for poor Julia’s sake.)  (She actually has some really great moments in this, too, most of them non-verbal.  She makes a lot out of little dialogue.)

Lopez’s Ramona steals the show.  She feels both larger-than-life and down to Earth. It’s a charisma driven performance for sure, but most actors cannot pull off that particular blend of charisma.

Sometimes she reminded me of Matthew McConaughey’s oily turn in Magic Mike. Like that character, Ramona has a Fagin-like quality that is both spellbinding and repulsive. But Ramona never truly seems like a villain. In fact, I found her easily the most sympathetic character in the story. Her motivations are clear, and though she disavows conventional morality, she does behave consistently according to her own principles. (Yes, she does many things that are objectively wrong, but she knows who she is, and so do we.)  (She’s also extremely loyal to her friends and takes care of the people she loves, though, of course, she expects loyalty in return.)  (I told you.  It’s like The Godfather with strippers!)

Best Action Sequence:
The rush to the ER (teased in the film’s trailer) is pretty entertaining, but probably my favorite moment is the first drugging attempt that seems to be going wrong.

Best Scene:

That Christmas scene is really something else.  You watch it and think, “Yep, this is America all right.” 

I also keep thinking about Destiny’s early life as a single mother, her mundane shopping trips with her daughter, her attempts to get a job.  Constance Wu is so good in these scenes.  They’re when I love the actress most, her character, the least.

The Negatives: