When two con women meet, a little competition is bound to happen.
So it is in The Hustle. On one side, there's the sophisticated and classy Josephine (a heavily-accented Anne Hathaway), who makes her living seducing and tricking rich men. On the other, we have small-time hustler Lonnie (a hilarious Rebel Wilson) who catfishes men for small potatoes. The two meet on the French Riviera where Josephine is based. As the Thai saying goes, two tigers can't live in the same cave and neither is willing to share territory with the other. So a wager is made over who can con a naive tech millionaire. The loser has to leave town.
The characters' polar-opposite natures and the great performances by both actresses make for great comedy. A female-centred remake of 1988's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (itself a remake of 1964's Bedtime Story), The Hustle is a genuine laugh-out-loud cinema session.
Comedy queen Wilson does what she does best, delivering belly laughs aplenty. Her portrayal and interpretation of the character is very similar to what we've seen from her as Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect franchise. Predictable, yes, but she is still a joy to watch. Next time, however, it would be nice to see her expand her range and do something a little bit more unexpected.
Completing the other half of the power duo, Hathaway manages to be both serious and silly, taking on the role of a full-time grifter following her dabble with the genre in Ocean's 8. With the look of a femme fatale, she also isn't afraid to be ridiculous. We tend to see Hathaway in more serious roles these days, so we may forget she's also great at comedy. This brought back memories of seeing her in The Princess Diaries and even a little bit of The Devil Wears Prada. We'd love to see her in more comedic roles in the future.
Together, Wilson and Hathaway oddly complete and complement one another onscreen. I was secretly hoping they would break into a musical number together, no matter how out of place it may have been. A duet between Fat Amy and Fantine -- now that's something I'd love to see. These two should try doing a musical together sometime.
The Hustle thrives on its leading ladies' chemistry and the comedic chops each brings to the table. There are some great jokes, especially one about Julie Andrews that sadly went over the heads of most people in the audience. Another joke about Phuket hit its target, meanwhile, getting a big laugh from the auditorium. Adding to the fun for the local audience, were the subtitles that managed to be humorous in their own right, and fit the Thai context well. Kudos to the translator.
In recent years, we've seen several attempts by Hollywood to breathe new life into old properties by gender-swapping previously male-centric stories, notably Ocean's 8 and Ghostbusters, to mixed results. These interpretations often feel unnecessary. Still, it's interesting to see what new things we can be drawn from familiar stories and settings when the tables are turned and the characters changed.
Story-wise, there is nothing complex or surprising about The Hustle. In terms of plot and setting, it follows Dirty Rotten Scoundrels so closely that I kind of wish it had tried to be a little more inventive. But still, its witty comedy saves the day. The Hustle, with its magnetic leads, holds its own and should be a hit with those in need of a carefree laugh.
