American Hustle - (December 13th,
2013 – Limited; December 20th - Wide): R
Opening Weekend Box Office: #4 with $19,106,933
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $88,700,000
Gross Revenue: $90,654,660
Production Budget: $40 million
Director: David
O. Russell
In 2010, Christian Bale and Amy Adams wowed audiences
with stellar Boston attitude in The
Fighter, and in 2012, Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper blew critics
away as manic love interests in Silver
Linings Playbook…both Oscar-nominated films were directed by David O.
Russell, and the talented director would draw from both when building his cast
for American Hustle. With that kind of cast pedigree, industry
analysts and critics were already predicting huge accolades for this
crime-comedy drama, but another unintentional association amongst the cast was garnering
attention across social media in the form of Internet Memes and Facebook
Administrator topic conversations…a type of guerilla exposure not normally seen
for this type of mature critical darling.
Each member of the primary cast has held a key role in a superhero franchise
recently, meaning that the 18-35 male demographic (which isn’t necessarily
interested in engaging and artistic performances) could still be curious to see
Batman, Lois Lane, Hawkeye, Mystique, and Rocket Raccoon appear together…lord
knows it was a popular topic of conversation across comic and film Facebook fan
pages for weeks. Still, Columbia didn’t
need to exhaust too many marketing resources, because there would be an
undeniable audience for the the mature comedy-drama of American Hustle, as it would serve as a welcome change from the
popcorn flicks that had dominated the box office in recent weeks. By all early indicators, every billed member
of the star-studded cast fully-embraced their roles and delivered an ensemble presence
that hadn’t been seen in theaters for years, virtually guaranteeing numerous
future Golden Globe and Oscar statues.
Set in late 1970s New Jersey and based on true
events, American Hustle follows the
exploits of career con-artist Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and his
partner/girlfriend, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), both of whom find considerable
success with a loan scam until they are caught by zealous FBI agent Richie Di
Maso (Bradley Cooper). Seeking to set a
precedent against white collar crime, Richie offers Irving and Sydney their
freedom if they can assist him in staging and executing the arrests of at least
four additional criminals, a deal that the duo begrudgingly accepts. As Richie learns more about the subtleties of
the con game, he sets his sights on corrupt public officials, his primary
target being popular New Jersey mayor, Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner). Posing as advisors to a wealthy Arab sheik,
the trio devises a plan to entrap Carmine into accepting bribes and
manipulating construction permits for the revitalization of Atlantic City, but
Richie’s ambitious and reckless nature causes several elements to spiral out of
control, the least of which involves the unwanted inclusion of violent mobsters
in the operation. Irving and Sydney soon
find themselves over their heads an unable to keep track of all the cons
currently running, and once Irving’s meddlesome wife, Rosalyn Rosenfeld
(Jennifer Lawrence), insists on contributing, all parties involved begin to
face dangerous levels of exposure.
With the narrative providing ample focus on each
cast member, American Hustle combines
risky characterizations and co-star chemistry to force every actor out of their
respective comfort zones and pave the way for entertaining and utterly
brilliant performances. Undergoing yet
another stunning physical transformation, Christian Bale completely disappears
into his character, imbuing an otherwise sleazy personality with complexity and
sympathy; this approach clicks remarkably well with Amy Adams’ conflicted sex
kitten to generate a peculiar but engrossing romantic dynamic. It is also thoroughly refreshing to see the
normally-reserved Jeremy Renner and Bradley Cooper cut loose with paralleled duality,
as the former channels a charismatically well-intentioned villain while the
latter is gleefully amoral as a detestable law enforcement agent. And then there is the remarkably entertaining
Jennifer Lawrence, whose zany attitude and unreserved performance is the
primary source of comedy within the film…really, this just keeps further
enforcing that Lawrence has the uncanny ability to dominate each and every role
she has accepted. The truth is that the
combined performances within American
Hustle overshadow every other conceivable element of filmmaking, but that
fact doesn’t necessarily grant carte blanche to overlook other weaknesses.
Yes, I loved American
Hustle, but even through those rose-colored glasses, I can acknowledge that
the film is a bit of a chore to follow and fully understand, thanks largely to
the overall manic pacing that only further muddled the nonlinear introduction
to this complicated world. Given the
high expectations that I and no doubt countless other moviegoers had equipped
walking into the theater, I can admit that the disjointed first act of the film
is confusing and particularly worrisome.
Thankfully, the narrative eventually builds a cohesive momentum, but it
does take some faith that quality will eventually improve and certain plot
points will ultimately clarify in order to carry some viewers to that
point. Even after the film becomes truly
enjoyable, some of the finer details of the overarching plot device (the eponymous
“Hustle”) remain a mystery, so it is a little disappointing to acknowledge that
repeat viewings may be necessary to understand what should have been a
straightforward romp. No need to worry
though, as none of these individual shortcomings is anywhere near relevant enough
to significantly derail the overall cinematic achievements of American Hustle.
For all of its critical praise, American Hustle has been somewhat underwhelming commercially,
debuting at only 4th place and to-date struggling to turn a
respectable profit against a comparatively modest $40 million production
budget. It is a little surprising to see
this high-profile of a cast have such a minimal presence overseas, but then
again, a contentious title like “American Hustle” can hardly be expected to
play incredibly well in international markets.
The lack of domestic performance is likely due to an overcrowded
box-office and direct competition in the form of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (too bad more of
that online exposure didn’t translate into ticket sales), but you should expect
a continued presence as Awards Season progresses. And, speaking of awards and accolades, David
O. Russell’s newest critical darling has generated 89 different nominations, 7
of which are for Golden Globes. Bottom
line, whether you are looking for stellar acting or are simply a fan of this
tremendous cast, you cannot go wrong with American
Hustle.
Overall
Recommendation: High
