Completely unbridled fun, with one of the great ensemble performances and a complex plot

Rating: 8/10 (24 August 2018)

While American Hustle absolutely has some significant flaws, it's just so much fun to watch and with such great acting that I can't help but love it. This is probably my favorite actor (Bale) and actress (Adams) at their best, and Cooper is also phenomenal. The characters are intense and layered and the actors bring emotion and investment into each of their interactions. Each relationship in the movie felt uncertain and volatile, and each had real weight to it. The plot and themes are also both very good - many of the ideas of morality and what one is willing to do to succeed, and how to use other people to have your own success, really hit home. The final con did surprise me and was a fitting ending, encapsulating the bizarre, unfair, and dishonest world of politics and financial dealings. One of my big problems with the film was its oversexualization of women, as they were too often used as purely sex objects, and this took me out of the story several times. I also thought some of the relationship drama with the very blatantly polyamorous dealings going on and nobody really confronting each other about it, just accepting it as normal was strange to me, though that may have been more normal in the 70s? The story progression could've been a bit more precise and demonstrative in the major plot points, but between the wonderful performances and the fun, unpredictable nature of the plot and characters, American Hustle is a fun, wild ride from the feet up.