The Hustle: A Wasted Opportunity for Female Empowerment
In Chris Addison’s latest caper, “The Hustle,” there may be the faint whiff of a clever film, but you’ll have to navigate a minefield of ridiculousness to catch a whiff. Starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, it sets up as a tantalizing treat with Hathaway as the posh British jewel thief and Wilson as the scrappy, brash con artist. Alas, both actresses are left floundering, armed with insufficient material, as they attempt to unveil the film’s most intriguing themes.
A Hollywood Infatuation
Hollywood seems to have caught a bad case of the female swindler bug, evident from “Widows” to “Ocean’s 8” (yes, that’s also Hathaway). These films dive into deeper waters, often splashing around the implications of sexism and the struggle for female agency. For the first twenty minutes of “The Hustle,” it seems screenwriter Jac Schaeffer might be attempting something similar—drawing from the legacy of “Bedtime Story” and its later remake “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” But before you can say “feminist caper,” the narrative veers off course.
Catfishing and Callousness
Consider one early scene where Penny (Wilson) is catfishing a hapless man played by Timothy Simons. He believes he’s off to meet a voluptuous blonde, only to find himself tangled in Penny’s fabrications. Spoiler alert: the virtually vapid male is willing to Venmo hundreds of dollars at the mere suggestion of a fictitious breast enhancement. Ah, the irony! It’s amusing and painfully on point, yet teeters on the edge of critique without ever daring to leap into the depths.
The Missed Chance for Subversion
Imagine if these two talented women had banded together to take down the patriarchal order, employing male-centered tricks against those very men. But lo and behold, like their male predecessors in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” Penny and Josephine instead find themselves in a rivalry against a single, unsuspecting man—an app developer who’s apparently too sweet and clueless to realize he’s being played. The projected camaraderie? Nonexistent. The class differences between them become a tiresome punchline, with Penny fumbling in uncomfortable shoes while Josephine glides in haute couture.
The Tired Tropes
While costume designer Emma Fryer deserves accolades for Josephine’s vibrant wardrobe, the contrast between the women is depressingly cliché. Yet again, we find the hefty woman reduced to the punchline and the snobby British archetype doing her stiff upper-lip routine. The chemistry between Hathaway and Wilson might charm viewers, but the recycled humor leaves much to be desired, resulting in jokes that land as softly as a feather in slow motion.
A Role Reversal Reimagined
What if the roles had been reversed? Wilson, with her Australian twang, could have thrown audiences for a loop while Hathaway, in a faked accent, navigated the cultural waters. Such a twist could have shaken things up! Still, it’s refreshing that Wilson’s character finds a romantic subplot, even if it’s mostly eclipsed offscreen by the hustle and bustle of conning.
The Dismal Outcome
Regrettably, “The Hustle” is a prime example of missed potential. Even with a female writer, the collective voices get choked down into a single, uninspired narrative that undermines women’s perspectives. What begins as a potentially progressive exploration turns into a facile, vacuous, and entirely pointless rehash of yesteryear’s antics.
