Hustle over to the cinemas right now and see "American Hustle", a highly amusing and charming gem of a film.

Rating: 10/10 (22 January 2014)

There's something to be said for films that provide endless charm and plenty of smiles to audiences. Especially in an age of dark, gritty, moody reboots and over-bight, assembly-line cookie-cutter Hollywood schlock... it's like a breath of fresh air after holding your breath underwater to find a film such as "American Hustle." A release that will immediately make you feel better, and remind you of the magic of cinema.
Beginning with an amusing tease that "Some of this actually happened", we follow the story of veteran con-artist couple Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), who are apprehended by FBI agent Richard "Richie" DiMaso (Bradly Cooper) after a sting to catch them on a loan scam. The duo are promised to be released as part of a bargain, if they can help provide DiMaso with more arrests. However, a number of complications arise, including Irving's wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) who threatens to complicate matters and has an ongoing rivalry with his lover Sydney, DiMaso's sometimes reckless eagerness and growing feelings towards Sydney, Irving growing friendship with Mayor (and target for the operation) Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), and constant complications to the ever-growing and changing scheme. Amongst many other often-comical foils to the plot.
This is a film that is most certainly all about the cast, and how they portray the characters. And it is one of the finest ensemble films I've seen in some time. While the entire cast is absolutely wonderful, I first have to give credit to the two strongest performers here- Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams, both of whom I am a massive fan of. Here, they really both become the heart of the film in different ways, conveying outstanding performances that left me in awe. I was particularly amused by Adams' dual roles, not only as Sydney, but also as the British aristocrat "Lady Edith Greensley", a false identity she created for her schemes, and an identity she is forced to slip in and out of often during the film. And Lawrence, who I first noticed in the very well-done "X-Men: First Class", before becoming an enormous fan with "The Hunger Games" and "Silver Linings Playbook", completely steals the show in her scenes, giving Rosalyn a lot of complexity, and conveying a number of different mindsets- everything from wild drunk to manically depressed and enraged. Lawrence has quickly become arguably the best actress of her generation. And I was more than thrilled that both her and Adams won their respective Golden Globs. (And I hope they do win their Oscars)
The rest of the cast is marvelous as well. Bale proves himself once again to be completely fearless, making Irving a complex, confident-yet- insecure-at-times individual, who is... well, physically very off- putting due to a large gut and a balding head. Bale is so much fun in this film. Cooper is also a blast, starting off somewhat noble before becoming a greedy, over-eager and cocky man who still has a lot of charm. Renner is also great as Carmine, a decent man who unfortunately gets sucked into some shady dealings. And I do have to give a shout-out to someone I think is very over-looked in the cast, which is Louis CK. CK portrays one of Renner's superiors at the FBI, and while his scenes are often brief, they are hysterically funny, very memorable, and very well-acted. I wish CK could have been nominated for at least a few awards, because frankly, he deserves them.
The production is absolutely great. Director/Co-Writer David O. Russell weaves a surprisingly complex-yet-accessible caper with his script (co-written by Eric Warren Singer), and it's full of much great humor. Even during scenes where it wasn't laugh-out-loud, the film's charm and jokes left a constant smile on my face and gave me numerous chuckles and giggles. Russell's direction is also top-notch and quite classy, providing us with the best possible visual storytelling. (Although I will nitpick that I didn't like a few shots where the camera would rapidly move into closeup, as I found it somewhat distracting, but that's a very small nitpick in an otherwise flawless film.)
I also really have to give a shout-out to the set and costume design. Set in the 70's, this film does a wondrous job conveying its timeframe, and the sets/locations were particularly beautiful. I also highly admired the costume design, which not only felt authentic, but lended a sort-of classic "Hollywood beauty" to the aesthetic. (Although certain wardrobe choices for certain actresses did lead to much distraction for myself as a male viewer. If you've seen the film you will know what I'm talking about.) And the musical choices were phenomenal. I almost found myself singing along in the theater during one sequence when Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" came on.
I really don't know what else to say. This is just a fun, fun, fun film. It's one of the most charming movies I've seen in years, and one of the most joyously humorous. I haven't enjoyed a trip to the cinemas this much in months, and I do think this film deserves every nomination and award it receives. (And I didn't even have the time to address certain other strengths, including a surprising cameo from a film legend that I won't surprise.)
"American Hustle" is a perfect 10 for me.