“We are all Hustlers at the End of the Day”
When I first heard about this movie I didn’t pay much attention to it until my girlfriend had said she wanted to see it. Based on the trailer alone I thought it was about strippers and a heist, which I’m technically not wrong about, but at the same time I was impressed on how the film presented itself.
Hustlers is a film about a stripper named Destiny (names changed for security purposes) trying to make ends meet until she befriends the club’s top money earner named Ramona (Jennifer Lopez). Ramona shows her the ins and outs of the stripper life and how to finagle with the wealthy Wall Street who come for a good show. It’s when the 2008 recession happens the two and several other dancers devise a scheme that turns itself upside down.
The film is based on a true story and that’s what shocked me. After the first opening minutes being introduced to Destiny (her stage name) and her life as a stripper I thought this was a film about a stripper getting out of the stripper life (I didn’t know the plot prior to seeing) but once the scene came she was speaking to the interviewer, I said oh okay this is not what I was expecting. The story recalls the events explained in an article and the interview with the real Destiny. It even included a scene where the audio was from the actual investigation where one of them acted as a mole to catch them for the police. It had some very heart to heart moments that I was actually touched by especially one part I felt sad to see (no spoils! let’s just say my girlfriend cried). Hustlers is a film that creatively tackles a true story in a way that makes you feel for the characters especially the one we follow the most, Destiny, played by Constance Wu. A definite sell for the movie was JLo and Cardi B for sure and they play their parts really well for general viewers drawn to see it by their stardom. Fare warning Cardi B has a small part but it does have significance especially due to her background prior to her known music fame and I thought that was pretty cool. Speaking of music, I noticed a lot of throw backs thrown into the mix especially one I haven’t heard since my early high school years by Lorde (Royals) and it really tied well with the early 2000s/2010s era that my life was molded within.
If I was Director, story-wise and the actors casted were on the money and each beat of the story keeps you engaged so nothing there I felt I would do differently. My girlfriend on the other hand had one piece of the character she felt was like an “okay that’s enough” and that was Lili Reinheart’s character who suffers from a weak stomach that causes her to involuntarily vomit when stressed. She felt it was too much for even her stomach. The overall portrayal of real events was phenomenal mixing humor, heart, and the elements of the real world with smooth transitions, there’s not much you could do differently. That’s my opinion.
Hustlers is a film that doesn’t just show the stripper life but what life is like for them beyond the pole. It presents a clear message that strippers are hustlers as much as a Wall Street journalist or a screenwriter would hustle for a good buck by any means necessary. One line that stuck with me that is true to everyone is said by Ramona, “in this world there are two types of people: the ones who toss the money and ones who dance for it.” That applies to not just the Stripper Life but to the way the world works in general, except I’m writing and throwing things out there in hopes money is tossed my way to keep on going. Hustle the way the world works for you.
9/10
True Story: https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/hustlers-the-real-story-behind-the-movie.html
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