A great story directed into the ground

Rating: 4/10 (7 January 2014)

The definition of "hot mess." David O. Russell takes a bunch of ideas for scenes, throws them together and calls it a movie - but most of the scenes, while fun on their own, make no sense in context and don't work together at all. The movie is a chore to sit through; almost everything in the first hour along with Jennifer Lawrence's character could have been cut and nothing would be missed. The chaos and complete lack of structured narrative clearly has appealed to some but for me it was unengaging and annoying.
Bad editing isn't always a kiss of death, but unfortunately the screenplay is trash and the acting a mixed bag. None of the dialogue sounds organic, the plot is predictable, characters are manipulated beyond recognition to suit the story or mood (poor Amy Adams plays about 7 different women here). Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner do what they can and create the only mildly sympathetic characters in the ensemble, while Amy Adams struggles admirably to make sense of her ridiculous character; Christian Bale's Robert De Niro impression is dull and Jennifer Lawrence could not be any more wrong for the part.
The most frustrating thing about American Hustle is that there is a great story buried there somewhere - but Russell drives it into the ground. He has stated that he values character over plot and that much of the movie was improvised, and he clearly casts actors he enjoys working with rather than actors who suit the roles, and in some cases his approach could work out, but here it's a recipe for bizarre, trashy disaster.
Highlights: - Bradley Cooper's chest hair - Amy Adams screaming on a toilet - Maybe the best soundtrack of the year
Grade: - At least it makes Goodfellas look better by comparison