When Con Artists Meet Comedy: A Review of “The Hustle”
In “The Hustle,” Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson team up as a pair of con women aiming to swindle a young tech billionaire out of his fortune. Yes, because nothing screams “plot twist” like two highly trained actresses robbing a guy whose best relationship was with his smartphone. This lightweight comedy serves up laughs but also a few uneven moments that might leave you questioning your life choices, like why you decided to watch a movie about thieves instead of robbing a bank yourself.
A Reboot of a Classic with a Twist
Imagine “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” but with fewer mustaches and more eye-rolls. This gender-swapped remake brings a fresh perspective to the old-school caper, featuring antics that are undeniably catchy but also a bit repetitive. Under the direction of Chris Addison, who mastered the art of sarcasm on “Veep,” this film is like a refreshing cocktail that starts strong but eventually becomes watered down, leaving you unable to remember what you ordered in the first place.
Meet the Con Artists
Rebel Wilson’s character, Penny Rust, is your quintessential low-class scammer, scamming unsuspecting victims with the finesse of a toddler stealing candy. Her latest scheme goes awry aboard a train, where she meets the upscale con artist Josephine Chesterfield (played by Hathaway) who is all elegance and class, as if she just stepped off the pages of a Vogue magazine. Josephine promptly decides that Penny is her new project, because nothing says “good ideas” like teaching a hustler how to hustle—or is it “con-ning the con”? Whichever it is, it seems like a recipe for chaos, or perhaps just really expensive makeup tips.
A Competition of Wits
As the pair shifts their focus from bus rides to posh French casinos, their antics ramp up. They begin targeting high-value marks—essentially anyone with more than two IQ points who falls for their charm. What follows is a humorous rivalry for the attention of a tech billionaire (Alex Sharp, who looks like he just graduated from “How to Be an Awkward Intern 101”). However, as bets are placed and feelings evolve, the audience is left to ponder: who is conning whom? Spoiler alert: It’s all too confusing to care!
Directorial Choices and Visuals
With his feature film debut, Chris Addison tries to balance humor and plot with varying degrees of success. His comedic timing is often on point, but sometimes you might find yourself chuckling at the wrong scenes, like when the camera pans to a background character making a questionable life decision. Kudos to cinematographer Michael Coulter for capturing the film’s idyllic coastal scenery, making you wish you were anywhere but stuck in a cinema. And let’s not forget the costume design by Emma Fryer, which is perhaps the most convincing actor in this film, successfully selling the illusory lives of these two con artists.
The Dynamic Duo
Penny and Josephine are played with an infectious energy by Wilson and Hathaway, who clearly enjoy every moment spent on-screen together. Their chemistry is so palpable that you’d think they were sharing a dark secret rather than just a penchant for deceit. Dean Norris and Ingrid Oliver round out the support cast, injecting their own brand of comedy, while Alex Sharp reminds us that tech billionaires can be both naïve and surprisingly deep, like a bottomless well of existential crisis.
A Conclusion on The Hustle
Ultimately, “The Hustle” presents itself as an entertaining yet disposable caper that might just make you chuckle in admiration—if not at its brilliance, at least at the audacity of its premise. Perfect for a night when you want to turn off your brain and laugh at “alternative earnings.” But don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe to leave your wallet at home. You won’t need it for this one.
By Lucas Mirabella
Running Time: 94 minutes
Rated PG-13 for crude sexual content and language.
