Fragmented and bizarre story on the American farce, replete with overacting

Rating: 6/10 (6 January 2014)

After seeing a few David O. Russell films (in spite of his personal problems, especially the infamous bipolar-type outburst on the set on "I Heart Huckabees," the movie I never saw because the word of mouth was bad referring to the complaint of pretentiousness), especially the stellar and moving The Silver Linings Playbook, I went to see "American Hustle," piqued by the reading of the stranger than fiction story on political corruption.
The movie is middling at best, harmed by some disjointed editing and structure, which explains the near-incoherence of the story. Non-linear is intentional, but it's difficult to follow the movie with complete comprehensibility the first time, befuddled by frequent ensemble overacting and rapid-fire dialogue (often profane) that only serve to annoy.
The film probably contains the most overacted ensemble in the history of the movies. Everyone overacts to the painfully embarrassing effect.
Despite suffering the flaws, the movie is half-riveting and half- tedious. I can't decide which, but it is simultaneous. I noticed a few walkouts of the young adult moviegoers to return 15 minutes later, in the middle of the movie, completely missing the story, probably to their confusion arising from the short attention span.
"American Hustle" demands attention throughout to comprehend the plot with the dizzling turns and twists that even confound me as to the plausibility. It asks the audience to suspend disbelief momentarily, which is stretching the truth, typical of Russell's penchant for comical exaggeration that throws the allegation of the true story in question which is true and which is completely made up.
The movie, being inane and implausible with the elaborate scam conspiracy followed by the police entrapment, reminds me of the cheesily produced television show with Jonathan Flake, "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction," which I recollect I saw at the turn of the century. That is now the staple of the Sunday morning cable programming with the marathon programming, which brought back memories.
Watching the movie conclude, on a spectacular note despite the bizarre structure of the movie in terms of pacing and dialogue, with the insanely clever plot twist reminds of this television program.
Pursuant to Russell's style in allowing freestyle improvisation, the movie is consequently strange and frequently off-color, that makes it a little boring to watch, trying to pay attention to the story without getting lost in the process.
As aforesaid, everyone overacts, even the uncredited role of Robert De Niro, for what reason I wouldn't know. The director lets them act as they like, without the measure of control by both artists.
It shows to the degree of shtick. Even Jennifer Lawrence overacts in this movie, in contrast to her tempered and nuanced acting roles, including her Oscar-winning role in the other Russell movie.
I was fascinated by the constant action of the movie as directed, being freestyle but also formless that lend to the palpable tedium and confusion as the result of recklessness at the vain attempt to achieve the artistic value.
There's not much to be said about Christian Bale being deliberately overweight, imitating Robert De Niro's Oscar-winning role in Raging Bull. Bale is a fine actor, but in this movie, he's forgettable, as is the guiltily overacted Bradley Cooper. (There is the scene towards the ending with Cooper that is so overacted it was weirdly off-putting.)
The noteworthy stars of the movie are the quietly commanding character of a FBI field office director played by the (foul and frequently antagonistic) comic C.K. Louis and the "is-she-British-or-is-she-not" scam artist played by Amy Adams, who emoted superbly in vulnerable characterization without being phony deserving of an Oscar (like Jennifer Lawrence in another emotionally taut role), a departure in 180 degree turn from the innocuous Disney movie "Enchanted".
Not a bad movie, but not a great movie either, blamed on the director's inability to maintain control, letting the actors go wild like mustangs, with the strange and non-linear structure, resulting in the incoherence and near incomprehensibility of the point of the movie.
Overrated, but serves as a good study how not to screw up the production with freestyling, which may explain the lack of necessary disciplined filmmaking in artistic and technical collaboration. I know how editing works, being directly involved in work, but the structure is a mess. It took three editors to make "American Hustle" as close to coherence, and it almost doesn't come close, which may explain the nature of the rushed production.
** 1/2