While singer-actor-dancer Jennifer Lopez is getting Oscar buzz for her most enjoyable movie turn in nearly two decades, she’s not the only pop star showing major acting chops in “Hustlers.”
Rap hitmaker Cardi B and “Truth Hurts” breakthrough Lizzo make their big-screen acting debuts as Diamond and Liz, strippers at the seedy New York club where newcomer Destiny (Constance Wu) gets her start at the beginning of the movie. At first, Diamond doesn’t welcome Destiny with open arms, brusquely telling her to “back off, b----)” when she sees her flirting with potential male clientele.
But Diamond quickly warms up to the club rookie, playfully bemoaning how men don’t like dating strippers as they chat. (“Everyone wants to date a stripper ... until they learn we work six nights a week,” she says.) In one of the movie’s more memorable scenes, she shows Destiny how to give the perfect lap dance, as she instructs that taking your time is key.
Lizzo, too, gets brief moments to shine as Liz: busting out her signature flute backstage and playing a few notes before nestling it between another stripper’s breasts. She also has some hilarious one-liners, such as her explanation for not dating: “I just wanna sit on my [expletive] couch with my [expletive] ice cream.”
When the club gets a surprise celebrity guest, she gleefully runs in to the dressing room and announces ”Usher, b----!” before the entire group dances on stage for the cash-throwing “Love in this Club” singer.
Cardi and Lizzo don’t get a ton of screen time, and their charming characters bow out before the movie’s halfway mark. But, with loads of charisma, they make the most of their scenes.
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