Great Performances, meh movie

Rating: 6/10 (25 April 2014)

I get the hype. Really, I do. But this movie is nothing special. I'm not going to be one of those people that say "I don't get the hype" or "don't believe the hype" or stuff like that. The main praise for this movie seems to be for the performances, fashion, and scenery. And for the most part, it is warranted. Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner really stood out to me in supporting roles, and Christian Bale and Amy Adams did pretty good as the main stars. Bradley Cooper was a weak link to me, however. The fashion and scenery are top-notch and authentic. The main problem with this movie, though, were not the technical aspects. The main problems were the plot and characters. I often got confused by the convoluted narrative as well as the character's motives. Part of this was due to the lack of chemistry between Bale and Lawrence, who did very good on their own but when they were together it was hard to believe that they were in love at all. Compare this to Bale and Adams' chemistry, or Adams and Cooper's, and it's clear that Jennifer should stick to being Bradley's love interest. The story was unrealistic and too confusing. By the end of the movie, I was wondering what the main purpose David O'Russell was trying to get across. I don't think an FBI member would willingly risk his job to help convicted cons, or not get into trouble at all for beating up his boss (and then proceeded to laugh about it later, in an unfunny scene that actually made me respect the cons more). Why did Rosalyn kiss Sidney? I get that she was crazy and all but this just seemed random to me (and yes, I know that Amy Adams suggested it, why I have no idea). In conclusion, this was was an OK movie with some Oscar-worthy performances but little in terms of plot and character development.