Hustlers Movie Review: Jennifer Lopez's Movie Packs A Punch

The eagerly awaited Hustlers, featuring actress Jennifer Lopez in the lead, finally hit screens in India today (September 27, 2019), giving movie buffs a reason to rejoice. The film, directed by the multi-talented Lorene Scafaria, has grabbed a fair deal of attention due to its powerful trailer. So, did the film live up to expectations? Read the Hustlers movie review to find out.

Plot

Hustlers revolves around a gang of 'strippers', who decide to get into the fleecing game in order to make tons of money and lead a good life. After a good start, things fall apart, which leads to a series of problems.

Screenplay

The basic storyline of Hustlers is quite simple, offering nothing fresh. However, its impact is elevated by some deft writing. The screenplay relies on 'showing' rather than 'telling', which helps the on-screen action connect with the audience. The writers also do a good job of portraying the protagonists as people with aspirations as opposed to mere victims. The 'girl bonding' scenes have come out well, and are heartwarming.

The first half of Hustlers is a bit slow. However, the post-interval portions are quite riveting, which makes up for this shortcoming. The last 20 minutes or so, focusing on the conflict between the two key characters, feel organic and relatable, which adds a new dimension to the movie. The climax too, is passable despite being slightly predictable.

Performances

Jennifer Lopez is the proverbial heart and soul of Hustlers. Her confident body language and dialogue delivery up the recall value of her performance, leaving the target audience spellbound. She impresses in the emotional scenes as well, underplaying her part like a pro.

Constance Wu, however, fails to impress. Despite being sincere, the lady is unable to add any depth to her character. She struggles in the emotional sequences, which is a bit surprising. Julia Stiles, who plays a journalist, is fair but does not make much of an impact.

The rest of the cast serves its purpose.

Technical Aspects

Even though Hustlers has a lot of skin show, the makers ensure that there is no unnecessary objectification of the female characters, which proves that this is a sincere attempt at storytelling. The bold scenes, in particular, have been shot rather aesthetically.

The editing is reasonable good while the background score elevates the on-screen action.

Positives

Jennifer Lopez's Performance

Good Second Half

Background Score

No Objectification of Female Characters

Good Screenplay.

Negatives

Constance Wu's Average Act

First Half Pales In Comparison To Post-Interval Portions.

The Verdict

Hustlers is a good attempt at storytelling that will click with the target audience.