Over-hyped and surprisingly dull

Rating: 4/10 (26 January 2014)

I'm sure many people were compelled to watch American Hustle because of the Oscar buzz alone. Along with the glowing reviews, I became one of these people. I expected a clever, witty and brilliantly made film but this fell far short of my expectations. The one stunning thing about this film is the acting performances. The female leads stuck out particularly with Jennifer Lawrence providing the only real laughs of this supposed comedy. Christian Bale is also very good but it baffles me why all the awards nominations have been showered on Bradley Cooper when his performance is unspectacular and was far out-shined by that of Jeremy Renner. The production and direction is good but this cannot make up for the shocking lack of plot and incomplete characters. By about half an hour in I was looking at my watch as this film does nothing to hold your attention further than the impressive wardrobes and visuals. If I was to sum up this film I would say that it is well made but dull. It is typically what the Academy rewards but if this goes on to win Best Picture it would be more than a shame.