150 Word Review: 'Hustlers' (2019)
Scheme girls
Based on a true story set during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Lorene Scafaria’s crime drama Hustlers follows struggling dancer Destiny and her ‘gentleman’s club’ mentor Ramona as a pair of glitter-dusted Robin Hoods.
Constance Wu’s Destiny is well-drawn, heartfelt, a mix of insecurity and ambition. Her performance feels real. But it’s an electric Jennifer Lopez as alpha-stripper Ramona who drives the story. Lopez’s character is the mastermind of a scam that will take down her, Destiny, and their crew: drug wealthy men in the champagne room and max out their credit cards.
The men whom the women target, at first, are the kinds of dirtbag Wall Street brokers responsible for blowing up the economy. It’s a victimless crime until you get to know one of the victims. Eventually, Hustlers demands sympathy for the men they’re ripping off. There is no honor amongst thieves. But there is heartbreak.