Inspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.
From all the hype leading up to the film and from the line of fans who were turned away from the early screening, it is safe to say that the film has everyone searching for their spirit animal, The Hustler. “Hustlers,” which is based on the 2015 New York Magazine article titled “The Hustlers At Scores,” written by journalist Jessica Pressler, follows the lives of a group of strippers/dancers who turned the tables on the Wall Street Executives who bankrolled their livelihood. Overwhelmingly, it exposes the unbalanced finances of those who have the most equity in it and delves into the pleasure and pain of hustling while trying to make a living off of a honed skillset. Simply put, “Hustlers” in all of its grandeur, is more about loyalty and compassion, than it is about women who stole from a male-dominated field of high-end pleasure seekers.
“Based on a true story….” is always an indication that some real crazy shit is getting ready to happen. And so it is in this film where Dorothy (Constance Woo) stars as a woman scorned by her own virtuous mindset while expecting unconditional support from her collaborators. Raised by her Cambodian-refugee grandparents, Rosey has many obstacles that keep her from taking on a traditional career, the minimum is not finishing school and partnering with crazy boyfriends who didn’t seem to follow the path that her seemingly focused mind wanted to travel. After a series of unfulfilling jobs, Rosey is lured into the night club scene but isn’t emotionally equipped or physically trained to compete with the big dogs. After being introduced to Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), a single mother who was more than ten years older and on top of her game, Rosey transforms into Destiny and upgrades into a top-notch performer after realizing her full potential had not been met and that she could be better, richer and wiser if she sticks with Ramona. Under Ramona’s tutelage, and along with a ragtag of handpicked performers, which include Annabelle (Lili Reinhart), Diamond (Cardi B), Mercedes (Keke Palmer), and Jennifer (Julia Stiles), Destiny flourishes, and with the exception of some aspirational setbacks, Destiny feels she has mastered the game and had everything she needed in life. Emotionally bankrupt, Destiny severs her ties with the group and before she can return, the market collapse in 2008 has handicapped the club industry financially and taken everything she knew from the past. Forced to seek Ramona’s help, once again, and now a single mother herself, Destiny has to work twice as hard to make a new life for her family.
Ramona’s new high stakes plan to gain leverage off of their customers while taking control of their bodies and credit cards seemed more than Destiny could fathom, however, the financial level of comfort wins over her conscientious soul. Before long, each of the ladies become filthy rich and criminally responsible for bamboozling their clients while getting them to a physical level of intoxication that leads to a lack of financial control. While the ladies grow increasingly dependent on one another, each of their own personal burdens whittles away at their camaraderie. Although Momma Bear Ramona is always just one hug away from renewed self-confidence, once the feds catch onto their game, each is held personally responsible for the crimes they committed and neither felt they could truly lean on one another totally for support.
Writer and Director Lorene Scafaria does an excellent job of exposing the human side the stripper’s world as well as the notorious scruples of Wall Street’s finest. The casting of strong personalities displayed by well-known actors, both female and male, made for an interesting combination of dominance and free will in a no-holds-barred environment. The journalists’ role which was straight-laced and seemingly impartial, helped to solidify the backlash in which societal norms dictate the winners and losers before the game ever starts. The realistic statistics at the end of the film are eye-opening and relevant to all those seeking to find closure for justifiable crime and repentance for thoughts about what some consider deviant behavior and others consider an honest hustle. In the end, the film is entertaining, thought-provoking, sexy and hilariously thrilling for all those who wish to take a peek inside the world of hustling at someone else’s expense.
In Theaters Friday, September 13th
