American Hustle

I wanted to love American Hustle, in fact, I expected that it would be love at first viewing. From the praise I’d heard from friends and read online I was certain that I would love it. There are so many things about American Hustle that are right in my wheel house. David O. Russell is a director that I admire and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of his films. The cast is impeccable, even the really small roles (Louis C.K.!!!). Seventies music, clothing, and hair, all things I love. Despite all of these positive attributes, American Hustle did not meet my expectations at all.

That isn'to say that American Hustle isn’t a good movie or isn’t worth seeing. It’s good for all the reasons you’d expect (good director/writer, great cast, etc.) but it hasn’t had any real lasting effect on me. I feel so indifferent towards the film. I have no real desire to revisit or analyze it. I got what I needed from it from one viewing and that’s fine.

There has been a lot of comparisons between American Hustle and Wolf of Wall Street, both delve into the different criminal sides of conning people out of money. Having seen Wolf first, maybe I was expected something more in that spirit. American Hustle is much more deliberate than the Wolf of Wall Street. It stays with the characters for long, intimate scenes to help build the relationship the audience has with them. Russell himself has said that he’s more about characters than he is about story and it’s very apparent here. These characters are very interesting but their lives are positively boring compared to the drug fueled debauchery on display in The Wolf of Wall Street. Maybe that’s more of what I expected, something flashier and bigger.

It’s strange that I would want something big or flashy. I usually go for films that are smaller, more intimate, and more real. What if I had seen American Hustle before I saw Wolf of Wall Street? Would I have found it as slow? Would I have wanted more flash? Would I have like Wolf less because less was going on? I can 

never know.

Even thinking about the films side by side now there are many things that I like about American Hustle more than Wolf of Wall Street. I thought the overall story was better especially how everything came together in the end. Usually movies that end cleanly feel very contrived but American Hustle’s ending avoids feeling false by being well written and acted. There is more of a story arc and better character arcs than Wolf of Wall Street which is more like a bunch of events shown one right after the other.

In my head I know I should like American Hustle more but it didn’t touch me like the movies I love have affected me. American Hustle didn’t affect me at all. It’s a perfectly adequate film and gives you what you want while watching but doesn’t leave the lasting mark you’d expect.