Not necessarily Oscar-worthy but an entertaining time at the movies.

Rating: 7/10 (2 February 2014)

I hardly ever write reviews, but a lot of the negativity about American Hustle got me riled up. I believe that some people write bad reviews just to show their superiority about their understanding of film. A lot of the reviewers on IMDb give the movie a 0 or 1 and talk about walking out in the middle of a movie. I rarely see anybody walking out of any movie, so I'm thinking that they're just making this up. Just enjoy a night out and don't be so serious.
With my rant out of the way, I'd like to give a thumbs up (but not an Oscar-worthy thumbs up) to American Hustle.
I really think that most of the bad reviewers didn't understand what the movie was supposed to be about or had misconceptions about it going in. I don't think David Russell was looking to make another mobster or crime movie. It was all about the characterizations and little about the plot. During the movie, you weren't always sure who was conning who and I think that's not a bad thing. People's motivations are not always black and white. The soundtrack, sets and costumes really caught the spirit of the time. The dialog, while sometimes too loud and difficult to make out, felt real.
Christian Bale's Irving Rosenfeld, while not necessarily someone you'd want to spend some time with, was a totally unique individual. Anybody who says that Amy Adam's character didn't have a lot of sex appeal probably has low-T. Bradley Cooper's FBI agent was a bit over the top, but entertaining as well. Louis C.K., as Cooper's boss, was great. And Jennifer Lawrence is Jennifer Lawrence, 'nuff said. Kudos also to Jeremy Renner, who was perhaps the most sympathetic character of them all.
Sure, the movie was bit overlong and sometimes confusing to follow. However, the brilliance of the acting held my interest. There were also a lot of funny moments (particularly scenes with Jennifer Lawrence and Louis C.K.). I can't figure out how people say that they didn't laugh at least once.
Overall, it wasn't the greatest movie that was ever made (like some serious reviewers think), but it had so many good things going for it. I give it an entertaining 7 out of 10.