REVIEW: American Hustle

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

David O. Russell’s recent interest in mainstream fare (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook) continues with American Hustle, a comedic drama loosely based on the ABSCAM scandal that brought down several prominent politicians in the 1970s. The filmmaker takes full advantage of the story’s disco-era setting, kicking things off with a vintage Columbia Pictures logo and dressing his stellar cast in some of the gaudiest clothing this side of John Travolta’s Goodwill pile.

Factor in a killer soundtrack that’s put to masterful use, and you’ve got the best Martin Scorsese homage since Boogie Nights. (Intriguing, considering Scorsese has his own movie opening in a couple of weeks.) However, in a reversal of Aristotle’s famed observation, the whole isn’t as great as the sum of its parts.

The film is a joy in terms of visuals and dialogue, and the cast delivers remarkable performances, particularly the female leads and the pleasantly surprising supporting players. But it’s all in service of a plot that ultimately feels inconsequential. Not too surprising since Russell himself reportedly once said, “I hate plots. I am all about characters, that’s it.” Still, it seems wrong to complain that a movie is “just” really good instead of a masterpiece.

American Hustle focuses on brilliant con artists Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), who make their living ripping off shady individuals who can’t get loans through regular channels. However, after Sydney trusts the wrong guy, they are forced to work for scheming FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper).

Despite Rosenfeld’s protests that he and Sydney are only successful because they keep their cons small, DiMaso shoves them into a world of New Jersey politicians (including a popular mayor played by Jeremy Renner) and mobsters in hopes that a few corruption busts will boost his career. Of course, none of that matters if Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), Rosenfeld’s unhinged wife, destroys the plan because she’s not getting the respect she believes she deserves.

For many viewers, the biggest surprise of American Hustle will be Bale’s comedic chops. The typically brooding actor has demonstrated his sense of humor before, but not like this. He had me in tears several times thanks to his perfect delivery of the clever dialogue found in Russell and Eric Singer’s screenplay.

Equally compelling is Lawrence, who continues her bewildering streak of astounding performances. She doesn’t get as much screen time as the other actors, but her scenes reverberate with tense humor and volatility. Her ladies’ room showdown with Adams’ character is one of the year’s best scenes.

Speaking of Adams, she’s reliably terrific; it just disappointing that her character doesn’t seem quite as developed as Bale’s or Lawrence’s. Cooper has the same problem – he can play a charming slimeball in his sleep at this point, so the movie doesn’t really give him anything new to work with. He’s entertaining in the role, but I want to see him do something else.

Russell fills the supporting roles with strong character actors who flesh out the world he’s building. I want to single out a couple of performances (a certain hangdog comedian, in particular), but doing so would ruin the fun of hearing the audience’s surprised laughter when they pop up on screen.

If American Hustle does nothing else, it proves how stellar movies have been in 2013. In years past, it would’ve been a shoo-in for my 10 Best List. This year, however, it probably won’t make the cut – that’s crazy.

American Hustle is rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and brief violence.

Grade: B+