Film: American Hustle

Director: David O. Russell
Genre: Comedy
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Island Cinema
Grade: A

Last year, when everyone was going crazy for David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook, I really wasn't feeling it. It was clever and funny and it had a few complicated layers of psychobabble on top of it, but mostly I found it a pretty by-the-numbers romantic comedy. Fun, but not necessarily deserving of all the praise heaped upon it.

Which is to say, I understand if people feel the same about American Hustle. It's a con film at heart with a lot of meandering plot lines and comedic cul-de-sacs (not dead-ends, just not necessarily adding a lot to the film). 

But man, I bought in this time. American Hustle is one of my favorite movie experiences of the year, and if, when I go to rewatch it, I find (as I did with one of my favorites from last year--Argo) that it doesn't hold up quite as well as I'd hoped, that shouldn't lessen the pleasure I got from the film in watching it the first time around. Knowing little to nothing about Abscam (other than having heard the name in some random history class at some point in my past), the film's twists and turns were unexpected and hilarious, and I couldn't help but wonder how much of the film was real, given the opening text--"Some of this actually happened."

What makes the film come alive, however, is the performances. Jennifer Lawrence's hilariously selfish housewife, Amy Adams' love-torn con artist, Bradley Cooper's perm, Christian Bale's paunch, his accent, his sad-dog charisma and desperation. All of these actors are having fun with the material, and though at times it's schizophrenic (Cooper particularly is kind of all over the place, but in a really entertaining way), there are moments of brilliance and a whole lot of comic gold. The film also makes the pathos work. There's a moment, for example, when Christian Bale stands in the middle of a rack of clothing at a dry cleaning establishment he owns, and in that moment he lets down the facades he has up for everyone and lets his inner sadness shine through. It's unexpected, as is his admission later in the film how deeply some of his betrayals have hurt him. I can see why some would find it uneven, but to me it hit the messiness of life really well.

Honestly, I'm not sure I can think of a movie I just flat out enjoyed more--and that's even with horrible seats (second row from the front on the edge) and a somewhat obnoxious audience. I like most everything Russell has done, but I hope he continues to work in this comedy-drama space where actors are free to push themselves harder. It really worked for me. This will almost definitely show up on my end of year top ten list.