Goodfellas wanna-be

Rating: Null/10 (3 January 2014)

What a disappointment! After all the hype, ads, trailers, a group of us went to see American Hustle...and came out feeling "hustled." If you've seen this film and you haven't seen Goodfellas, rent it. Goodfellas blows this movie completely out of the water. Hustle is derivative, uninspired, brimming with one-dimensional acting. The music felt intrusive and too on the nose (although most of us liked the songs themselves). Granted, Bale is always at the top of his game, but the rest of the cast? Meh. We all did agree, though, that Louis C. K. actually felt like a real character. The set design was exceptional. But the costumes, hair, felt too "perfect" for the times depicted. Sorry, Mr. Russell. You're not Scorsese. Not even close...