RATING: A RAUNCHILY FINE TIME
FIFTH WHEELING INTRO
On Monday, Sept. 16, I purchased a ticket to see a buzzing film titled “Hustlers,” which stars Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez as strippers who, as the title suggests, hustle not-so-innocent men out of their money.
I made my way inside the completely empty theater and found my seat as the previews were about to begin. As the lights dimmed for their arrival, in came an elderly couple guiding each other to their seats. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t surprised. Minutes later a second couple entered the room, this couple a younger pair. Is this a date-night movie?
***
Hustlers Review
Hustlers begins in 2007 as Dorothy, also known as Destiny, (Wu) is beginning her career at a New York-based strip club. Right away the audience is put into her stilettos with a well done long take (no cuts) as she takes a tour of the place.
Soon she meets the club’s most popular performer Ramona (Lopez). Lopez takes firm control of the film as her character is shown performing. Again, director Lorene Scafaria utilizes a long take and she captivates the entire club, including Dorothy.
Later we see Ramona sitting on a rooftop in a fur coat taking a smoke break. When Dorothy follows her outside, Ramona takes her under her wing, almost literally, as the two of them snuggle inside her coat.
This dynamic between the two characters mirrors the dynamic of the actresses as well. Dorothy is the lead protagonist of this narrative however Ramona is always the character in control. Eventually we see an inevitable shift in this partnership as the criminal activity spikes and Dorothy’s desire for control over her life and circumstances (e.g. providing for her daughter and ailing grandmother) ratchet up to a 10.
The relationship between Dorothy and Ramona is by far the film’s most substantive and it offers a look at two people who just want a measure of control in their lives.
Given that the story is told by Dorothy, I do believe that the film doesn’t fully represent Ramona’s motivations as clearly as they could have, particularly in the second half of the film. It could also be argued though that this is Scafaria playing with the idea of an unreliable narrator. Either way, I don’t think that the decision to put Dorothy at the center hurts the film too much.
Wu is great and carries the burden well.
“Hustlers” is a story that houses characters who demand control of their fates and as Ramona says at the end of the film, “You’ve got people tossing the money, and people doing the dance.”
