Cinema Fun At Its Finest (But Is It Really Worthy Of All The Awards?)

Rating: 7/10 (4 March 2017)

Going in to see "American Hustle", I really had no idea what to expect. To be honest, it didn't look like the type of movie I would usually be interested in, but that dynamite cast mixed with overwhelmingly positive reviews got me in a theater seat. I enjoyed the film and thought it was an exciting mix of cast interactions, period (1970s) references, and some really great music. I just don't understand why it is being nominated for so many prestigious awards.
For a basic plot summary, "American Hustle" tells the story of Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), two individuals who, after a chance meeting, set out on a life of "hustling" (mainly by charging fees on loans that will never develop). When they are eventually busted by F.B.I. agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), they are given a deal to work together with the government to take down some "big boys" of crime.
The reason this film works so well is because director David O. Russell is such a master of character interactions. He just has that innate ability to pick a perfect cast and then make literally every interaction between them mean something (whether dramatic, comedic, or any other range of emotion). Plus, the 1970s atmosphere is fun to be flung into, complete with vintage clothing, music, and set pieces. There are some negatives to this film, but its main positive is that it has the ability to completely sweep away the viewer and engulf them in every aspect of the movie.
The reason I can't give "American Hustle" five stars or consider it a "classic" movie? The story is a bit weak. I left the theater (despite being dazzled by the things I described above) thinking "what was the take-home message of this film?" I felt as if the plot meandered a bit and wasn't as rock solid as perhaps it could/should have been. Maybe this is somewhat of a Russell "trademark", though, as I gave a similar four-star ranking to last year's "Silver Linings Playbook" for similar reasons.
Thus, my overall verdict for "American Hustle" was that it was a rip-roaring good time at the theater...but nothing worthy of major awards (perhaps with the exception of Amy Adams, whom I thought gave the best performance of the show). I still think that "The Fighter" is the best movie directed by Mr. O Russell. Other than that, though, this is a picture that can (and probably should be) watched twice in order to catch all of its complexities.