Directed by David O. Russell
Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Michael Pena, Jack Huston
Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and brief violence.
Nominated for 10 Academy Awards
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor (Christian Bale)
Best Actress (Amy Adams)
Best Supporting Actor (Bradley Cooper)
Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
Best Writing- Original Screenplay
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
David O. Russell's AMERICAN HUSTLE has the most complicated plot of this year's Best Picture nominations to explain, being a character piece loosely based on historical events, or as the opening title prefers to put it: "Some of this actually happened."
At the center of the proceedings is sleazy conman, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who advertises phony investment opportunities and embezzles his clients' money after declaring the investments failures. His equally devious but more ambitious partner-in-crime and girlfriend is Sydney Prossier (Amy Adams), a former stripper who takes on the guise of "Lady Edith Greensley", a British aristocrat of her own invention, which she uses to lend some "credibility" to their schemes. They make an efficient partnership, but Sidney is frustrated by Irving's persisting links to his estranged family. His blundering but charming wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) has him under her seductive thumb and refuses to divorce, and Irving is reluctant to pressure her, lest he lose access to her son from a previous marriage, whom he has adopted. An FBI agent, Richie Di Maso (Bradley Cooper) has his sights set on Irving's and Sydney's criminal activities, and when he arrests Sydney, the ruthlessly ambitious Di Maso offers Irving a way out: assist in delivering four additional arrests. Irving sets up a scam involving a wealthy Arab Sheikh looking for potential American investments, and when an opportunity to ensnare the popular mayor of Camden, New Jersey, Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), in public corruption, Di Maso becomes enthralled with the idea of catching such a big fish, despite the protestations of Irving and Di Maso's supervisor, Stoddard Thorsen (Louis C.K.). What follows is an often comic, sometimes intense game of cat-and-mouse as each of the players in this charade campaign for their own interests and in conflict with their own consciences.
Ironically, despite having an especially complicated plot, matters of plot are relatively minor in AMERICAN HUSTLE, which is, in fact, a refreshing and eccentric character study, bolstered exponentially by an incredible ensemble cast.
Although at 10 nominations, it is only matched by GRAVITY for most Oscar nominations this year, it hasn't come out as a frontrunner for the top awards. Certainly with 10 nominations though, and nominees in each of the "Big Five" categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay), it's already been significantly honored. Eventually, David O. Russell is almost definitely going to receive Oscar gold, if mainly in recognition of his Best Picture/Best Director-nominated films that haven't won, including, to date, THE FIGHTER and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. However, yet again, it just isn't in the cards this year. That's not to say it won't win any notable awards. Jennifer Lawrence, the highlight of the film, has been currying favor with earlier awards shows, perhaps more for her highly favorable public persona than for the performance, and is favored to win for Best Supporting Actress. Although she is excellent in the film, and basically everywhere, she isn't the most noteworthy of the nominations in her category, especially considering she won Best Actress just last year. Other awards AMERICAN HUSTLE has a strong presence in are Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, the latter which it especially deserves for its glitzy and eccentric 1970s styles. Christian Bale, in yet another transforming role, deserves greater attention for Best Actor than he's received, especially when one considers it was his follow-up role to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, where he played a ripped and significantly more handsome Bruce Wayne.
AMERICAN HUSTLE is one of the more purely entertaining films of this year's Best Picture nominees, and can't quite be pinned to a clear genre, featuring elements of comedy, crime-thriller and romance. It also has an unusually wide appeal for a film of its prestige (it's been aptly called "GOODFELLAS for people who don't like violence, and BOOGIE NIGHTS for people who don't like sex), but isn't resigned to formula, like some accused SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK of being. Even in the midst of its acclaim, AMERICAN HUSTLE is one of the people's favorite of this year's Academy Awards, smart, fun, funny and exuberant without offending.
I predict AMERICAN HUSTLE will win for Best Supporting Actress and Best Costume Design.
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| From left to right: Amy Adams as Sidney Prossier, Bradley Cooper as Riche Di Maso, Jeremy Renner as Carmine Polito, Christian Bale as Irving Rosenfeld and Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn Rosenfeld in AMERICAN HUSTLE. |
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