Films usually have a longer gestation period than Lorene Scafaria's Hustlers. Although it has been shopped around since 2016, it quickly entered production at the end of March, flew through 29 days of shooting and entered post-production at the beginning of May in order to lock down a mid-September general release date. More often than not, films working on such a tight turnaround seldom suggest quality filmmaking - but a festival debut and positive buzz defied early expectations. Does the "based on a true story" film adaptation hustle up the goods? Or does it find itself slipping down the pole?
When a crew of strippers in New York City find their business ruined by the Wall Street crash of 2008, they begin taking greater and greater risks to secure the better lifestyles they have acclimatised to - including embezzling money and drugging the men visiting the club who caused the country's financial misfortune. Starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart and Julia Stiles, Scafaria directs her own screenplay based on the New York magazine article "The Hustlers at Scores" by Jessica Pressler.
Hustlers walks the very impressive line of being both a complex and compelling character drama as well as a rip-roaringly fun and wildly entertaining time at the pictures. A damning critique on the American Dream and the men who sent it crashing down disguised as a stylish and empowering crime-thriller, Hustlers rustles up a film with more brains than it may appear to possess on the surface; in a way, the filmmakers rely on conventions and prejudice to surprise with its deeper thematic musings and earnest messages of sisterhood, family, surviving and thriving.
The importance of female filmmakers is no clearer than with a film like Hustlers: films about stripping have too frequently been presented through a very male lens - reflective of the people behind the camera - and heavily sexualised, often represented as a dirty and demeaning way of life, and as a storytelling or thematic device for the men that frequent such establishments. What Scafaria so thoughtfully and confidently does is remove the negative connotations of stripping and sex worker to present their occupations and lifestyles with genuine tenderness and compassion, in a way that feels revolutionary within the cinematic landscape.
Emphasised by the 'chosen family' and notion of sisterhood within the film's narrative and character dynamic, the camera is celebratory of these successful, fierce, divisive and all-encompassing women, framed brilliantly as their world, not the world of the men they entertain: it is captured fantastically, no more so than in the very opening scene, tracking Wu's Dorothy entering the main stage herself. It's something we typically see from a man's point of view, but this small flourish places the story and perspective with the women, for once. On top of being generally slick and stylish visually, there's a stunning amount of heart to the filmmaking. For every club-set sequence (and they are wonderful), there is a touching scene focusing on the bond these women make and the warmly supportive environment they cultivate, humanising people who are only ever received unflattering media portrayals. I hesitate to believe a male director could achieve that, so major props to Scafaria.
Directing her own script allows Scafaria the opportunity to hone the film's numerous tones on multiple fronts, and serves her superbly in mastering the tricky tonal balance. It's as funny as it is heartfelt, as exciting as it is thoughtful, and very much like the article that the film has inspired, it casts no judgement on the women, allowing the scope for deeper thinking and more profound consideration. While Hustlers perhaps play its hand too early by revealing its interview-flashback structure before we've really settled into the story, assuming a somewhat too familiar and arguably repetitive rhythm, it doesn't detract from the strong character work, fascinating crime story and witty dialogue too intently.
Jennifer Lopez has truly never been better: from her sure-to-be-legendary introduction through to her final words which land with such shattering impact, Lopez is scintillating, exuding confidence that makes her Ramona Vega such a magnetic presence. It's not a transformative performance by any stretch, but that doesn't make it any less impressive; it plays so perfectly to Lopez's strengths and any award consideration would be greatly welcomed and deserved. It's strong work from most of the ensemble actually, with Constance Wu charting the eight-year spanning story with a beautiful sense of reflection, while Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart make the most of their somewhat limited screentime. With the supporting cast rounded out with women from all backgrounds, it's refreshing to see such diversity reflected on screen, without them being relegated to token add-ons.
It's also worth noting the impeccable use of sound throughout Hustlers. By using silence and distortion at various intervals, the film is creatively textured by its sound design's drive to ensure we remain in the women's world and headspace throughout, more than if more conventional filmmaking techniques were employed: for example, we know the walls are tightening around the women as their plans begin to spiral out of control but we very rarely cut away to see the investigation unfold because the filmmakers don't feel the need to spoonfeed this information to their audience when it can be conveyed in a creatively skilled manner - like the crackle of a wire recording indicating outside surveillance without yanking us out of the moment.
This, on top of featuring a stellar soundtrack ranging from 2007 Britney to 2014 Lorde, demonstrates incredibly strong craft from a film we didn't quite expect it from. Alongside the stunning work from the costume department - who put some of the best fur coats on to screen for our appreciation -, everyone is working in harmony to make Hustlers the flashy, enjoyable experience it undoubtedly is.
Hustlers is one of the most pleasant surprises of this film year. While not only an endlessly entertaining trip to the cinema, the film's deeper exploration of chosen family, the American Dream, greed and corruption infuse something far more sincere into what could've been a conventional, half-baked effort. Largely in thanks to her dual role as both writer and director, Lorene Scafaria reframes a story usually treated with little respect and revolutionises the genre in the process, fuelling it with a ferocity that the ensemble runs with, with Jennifer Lopez shining in this career-high. Hustlers deserves your time, money and attention, so gather the crew together and throw your dollar bills towards a ticket now.
8.5/10
Summary: Women reclaim the stripper genre in Lorene Scafaria's surprising, heartfelt and riotously entertaining Hustlers, placing a career-best performance from Jennifer Lopez in pole position.