AMERICAN HUSTLE is twisted, funny and suspenseful. It's really no wonder why it racked up seven Golden Globe Award Nominations.
Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a con man who falls in love with Lady Edith (Amy Adams) while he is busy in his work of conning investors. All is grand until they are caught up in an FBI sting operation. They signed up to get themselves out of trouble by making a few busts but the sting is beyond their control. Rosenfeld and Lady Edith are the creatives behind the sting but it's FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) who gets hungry for power.
It's not so much the storyline that drives this movie. This movie is partially based on the Abscam Sting of the late 70's when the FBI convicted members of Congress and other politicians who were involved in bribery involving a fake sheik supposedly looking to invest in Atlantic City. The real Abscam Sting was not sexy at all. Director David O. Russell uses the emotional makeup of each character and places them in love triangles, moral dilemmas and comedic surprises with a sexy, enticing 70's backdrop. That is what sexes this storyline up and adds suspense to the audience's pleasing.
I wasn't expecting this movie to be as funny as it is. The banter between the characters is laugh-out-loud funny with timely jokes. And Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn?! Hello! She's outdone herself. We've all met Rosalyn before and we love her because she's charming, the life of the party and a little bit of a loose cannon. Oh yeah, Rosalyn is the stay-at-home wife to Irving Rosenfeld who weasels her way in to the business of conning she knows nothing about. While she isn't technically the leading lady, she steals the show in my opinion.
Part of the humor and vulnerability in these characters is the costume design. While the locks on the ladies is interesting, it's nothing to the perm FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper), the oversized pompadour on Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) or the comb-over on Irving Rosenfeld (Bale). The comb-over is almost a story all in itself. Honestly, if I hadn't researched this movie before I went to see it, I might not have know that was Christian Bale. The costume design for each character transforms each one in to real people. It's like you either knew them (the characters) before or you remember them from old family photos.
AMERICAN HUSTLE gets two thumbs up from me. I don't want to give it all away so I encourage you to check it out for yourself. It's in theaters now.
Download the AMERICAN HUSTLE Soundtrack from iTunes.
