Overlong and Overrated

Rating: 6/10 (19 January 2014)

(spoilers)Directed by David O Russell, "American Hustle" does not warrant the apparent acclaim it's been afforded critically. It is a parade of look-at-me characters/actors set in the 70's some of whom seem terribly cast. Before going into that, the real problem was the movie dragged especially in overdone scenes with Bale and Adams in the beginning and Cooper and Adams later on. How many scenes do you need to "convince" us that these two are soul-mates or she's conning. Likewise how many stupid yelling matches do we need to endure with any 2 sets of characters. There is too much screaming, yelling, and name- calling. Then there is those who were miscast: Jennifer Lawrence is way too young to be a naggy wife as is Jeremy Renner as a Mayor of New Jersey town. Renner doesn't come close to coming off as a East Coaster. Anyway, what is good is some of the dialog and Chrisitian Bale's once again complete metamorphosis as a New York conman. I also liked the inside clever ice-fishing joke, as well as the representative music and costumes. A mild recommend though ridiculous as an Oscar selection. 6/10