Hustlers (2019)

[Robert Lynch]

This seems like a remake of Striptease. Does Hollywood have nothing original so far?

[Dejana]

4 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

This seems like a remake of Striptease. Does Hollywood have nothing original so far?

The movie is based on real-life dancers who scammed their clientele, sometime after the 2008 Great Recession. Here's the source material, "The Hustlers at Scores":

http://www.thecut.com/2015/12/robin-hood-strippers-scores-c-v-r.html

Here's the first trailer:

And a clip:

I'm looking forward to it, though the inclusion of Cardi B is a bit of a "yikes" for me given that she's admitted to drugging and robbing guys back when she danced. OTOH, The Wolf of Wall Street had a Jordan Belfort cameo, although he did go to prison for his crimes at least.

Edited September 4, 2019 by Dejana

[Chas411]

I haven’t seen this yet but I’m looking forward to it. Reviews have been great and Lopez is getting Oscar buzz for it.

[Robert Lynch]

Really? I did not expect that.

[AimingforYoko]

Easily J-Lo's best performance since Out of Sight, but this was Constance Wu's movie. For a movie about strippers ripping off Wall Street guys, this was surprisingly emotional. 

[scarynikki12]

5 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Easily J-Lo's best performance since Out of Sight, but this was Constance Wu's movie. For a movie about strippers ripping off Wall Street guys, this was surprisingly emotional. 

Agreed. They were great, the story was great, the direction was great. I loved it.

[Robert Lynch]

 I did not recognize Mercedes Ruehl at all.

Edited September 16, 2019 by Robert Lynch

[Shannon L.]

On 9/15/2019 at 6:46 AM, AimingforYoko said:

Easily J-Lo's best performance since Out of Sight, but this was Constance Wu's movie. For a movie about strippers ripping off Wall Street guys, this was surprisingly emotional. 

I agree that this is Constance Wu's movie, but I don't understand the fuss about J-Lo.  

I saw this today and I'm not sure how I feel about it.  I didn't dislike it, but I thought it could have been better.  The interviews with Destiny weren't working for me.  I normally don't mind that kind of movie--I thought it worked really well for I, Tanya-- but in this one, it took me out of it. 

[Brookside]

All I could think during the first 10 minutes or so was, "I'm glad I'm not sitting next to some bloke I don't know"!  Or in front of a group of testosterone fueled 18-year-olds.  They certainly wouldn't have been following the plot.

I thought Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez were both great - the arc of Destiny (Wu)'s character was very well realized.  What really blew me away was Lopez's athleticism on the pole at the beginning.  And her stripper costume was fab.

Ya boo sucks Wall Street ass-holes.

The film is rated R, ie:

Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

The thought of some idiot 15-year-old kid ("Mom, I've heard it's really good, based on a true story") sitting next to his unsuspecting mother is both horrifying and hilarious.

Edited September 18, 2019 by Brookside

[kiddo82]

1 hour ago, Brookside said:

The thought of some idiot 15-year-old kid ("Mom, I've heard it's really good, based on a true story") sitting next to his unsuspecting mother is both horrifying and hilarious.

Well, both my Dad and I were pretty unsuspecting when we went to see The Shape of Water together.

[Brookside]

18 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

Well, both my Dad and I were pretty unsuspecting when we went to see The Shape of Water together.

I've never seen it, but just googled it and from what I read can see how that would have been "awkward" (as spoken in that teen tone)!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jennifer Lopez posted a video about leaning how to pole dance for Hustlers:

[Vixenstud]

Heh, all I could think of was Kevin James in the King of Queens episode Pole Lox, where he's showing Carrie the correct way to use a stripper pole:

[Brookside]

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Jennifer Lopez posted a video about leaning how to pole dance for Hustlers:

Thanks for posting.  The physicality of what Jennifer Lopez achieved is pretty extraordinary.  She's 50 years old for God's sake. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, Brookside said:

Thanks for posting.  The physicality of what Jennifer Lopez achieved is pretty extraordinary.  She's 50 years old for God's sake. 

Jennifer Lopez is not the best dancer (or the best singer) in the world, but it’s always been clear that she works really hard. 

I think a lot of people assume that pole dancing is easy and have no clue how strong you have to be. I love that she posted this video to give non-dancers a peek at how much work goes into it. 

[AimingforYoko]

5 hours ago, Brookside said:

She's 50 years old for God's sake. 

Speaking as a 50+ who's probably in the best shape I've been in since my early 20s, it's not the work that's daunting, it's the recovery that's the bitch. (And requires Advil, frequently).

[kiddo82]

I was just impressed with how easy she (and actual pole dancers) makes it look.  Those moves are no joke and those women are nothing short of athletes.  

Edited September 20, 2019 by kiddo82

[GaT]

I don't want to see this movie just on the basis of how much I hate Constance Wu's bangs.

[Robert Lynch]

35 minutes ago, GaT said:

I don't want to see this movie just on the basis of how much I hate Constance Wu's bangs.

I am pretty sure that’s a wig she is wearing.

[GaT]

25 minutes ago, Robert Lynch said:

I am pretty sure that’s a wig she is wearing.

Doesn't matter, still hate them, & she kept them.

[Mu Shu]

On 9/15/2019 at 9:46 AM, AimingforYoko said:

Easily J-Lo's best performance since Out of Sight, but this was Constance Wu's movie. For a movie about strippers ripping off Wall Street guys, this was surprisingly emotional. 

I agree. Constance Wu was spot on. J lo is a pretty close second. The scene where the younger guys told her to take a break, they weren’t into it stung. 

I’m calling it a buddy movie. Jlo and Wu have amazing chemistry.

I liked how they didn’t flinch from the sleazy parts. The scene where Destiny only made $60 dollars from what was probably a BJ was wrenching. 

Could have done without the Cardi B (annoying) and Lizzo (Would never be hired at a place like scores) cameos, but the Usher scene was fun. 

I would see it again. 

I wasn’t surprised by Jlo’s pole dancing. She did hip hop before she had her big break and has always been capable of rigorous performances.  Her performance is a real highlight of the film.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Mu Shu

[slowpoked]

Saw it yesterday and really liked it. I read the article before seeing the movie and I would say it stayed pretty faithful to the story. 

Being on the fringes in the entertainment industry, there was a lot of talk that Constance demanded she be first billing - ahead of JLO - and be acknowledged as the lead star of the film in all of its promo. In terms of merits of the film, well, she IS the lead star. But that took a lot of balls.

While Constance was the true lead, it was JLo who was so mesmerizing and stole every scene she's in. I haven't seen a lot of her movies since the early aughts, but I think this has been one of her best so far. 

Most of all though, I loved the story of friendship between JLo and Constance. Their characters had real depth, and their friendship had real conflicts. It wasn't all rah-rah-rah. When they were pissed at each other, they fought and reacted like normal people do. When they were happy, they were genuinely in love and love each other. It's nice to see more female relationships like this depicted in the movies. 

Edited September 22, 2019 by slowpoked

[Empress1]

On 9/19/2019 at 9:39 PM, kiddo82 said:

I was just impressed with how easy she (and actual pole dancers) makes it look.  Those moves are no joke and those women are nothing short of athletes.  

Me too. I watched the behind the scenes clip with J.Lo learning how to do it - and J.Lo is clearly very physically fit and a professional dancer with training, and she still struggled to learn it. Cardi B. said it took her years to get good. J.Lo's dance was phenomenal, and this is the best work I've seen from her in ages. I've never thought she was a particularly good actress, but she was good here.

When J.Lo was like, these motherfuckers stole from EVERYBODY and nobody went to jail, how could we NOT steal from them, I was like " ... I get it." I read the article and I think if anything, the movie was kind to how badly the Wall Street guys treated them - you got a glimpse of that with the $60 for the sex act and the way they dismissed J.Lo, but those guys in general were pretty shitty.

[slowpoked]

Everyone's talking about JLo's amazing entrance to Fiona Apple's "Criminal" (and rightfully so), but I think the most underrated scene of the movie was when Constance Wu was just coming home from the ER where they dropped the guy who fell from the roof, was looking all over her home to find her kid, then finds her at her neighbor's house, proceeds to drop her off at school (with teachers looking none too pleased at her), and then drives to her grandma's house, only to find out she had died. 

Just imagine the roller coaster of emotions that will take a toll on anybody. You're freaked out that you may have killed someone, then go home and can't find your kid anywhere, then find your grandmother actually dying. Great job on the director for letting that scene flow through naturally, without much dialogue and not a lot of cuts. 

A better actress might have given that part of the movie more gravitas and emotional punch. But Constance did alright with it.

[Racj82]

On 9/23/2019 at 1:14 PM, Empress1 said:

Me too. I watched the behind the scenes clip with J.Lo learning how to do it - and J.Lo is clearly very physically fit and a professional dancer with training, and she still struggled to learn it. Cardi B. said it took her years to get good. J.Lo's dance was phenomenal, and this is the best work I've seen from her in ages. I've never thought she was a particularly good actress, but she was good here.

When J.Lo was like, these motherfuckers stole from EVERYBODY and nobody went to jail, how could we NOT steal from them, I was like " ... I get it." I read the article and I think if anything, the movie was kind to how badly the Wall Street guys treated them - you got a glimpse of that with the $60 for the sex act and the way they dismissed J.Lo, but those guys in general were pretty shitty.

Eh. I side with no one in this case. The guys were assholes and these women were drugging theives. 

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Racj82 said:

Eh. I side with no one in this case. The guys were assholes and these women were drugging theives. 

Oh sure. My comment does read as though I thought the hustlers were in the right; I do not think that.

[Racj82]

2 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Oh sure. My comment does read as though I thought the hustlers were in the right; I do not think that.

I'm sorry. That wasn't a judgment on you. I just see a lot of articles, movie reviews and posts boasting girl power and all. I don't cheer for these people. I don't really cheer for criminals at all.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/22/2019 at 12:00 PM, slowpoked said:

Being on the fringes in the entertainment industry, there was a lot of talk that Constance demanded she be first billing - ahead of JLO - and be acknowledged as the lead star of the film in all of its promo. In terms of merits of the film, well, she IS the lead star. But that took a lot of balls.

Very interesting!  Thanks for the information.

[Dejana]

On 9/18/2019 at 6:40 PM, Brookside said:

All I could think during the first 10 minutes or so was, "I'm glad I'm not sitting next to some bloke I don't know"!  Or in front of a group of testosterone fueled 18-year-olds.  They certainly wouldn't have been following the plot.

I thought Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez were both great - the arc of Destiny (Wu)'s character was very well realized.  What really blew me away was Lopez's athleticism on the pole at the beginning.  And her stripper costume was fab.

Ya boo sucks Wall Street ass-holes.

The film is rated R, ie:

Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

The thought of some idiot 15-year-old kid ("Mom, I've heard it's really good, based on a true story") sitting next to his unsuspecting mother is both horrifying and hilarious.

IIRC, the movie has a 15-rating in the UK, though I guess that still wouldn't make it any less awkward for to watch with a parent.

On 9/19/2019 at 10:47 PM, GaT said:

I don't want to see this movie just on the basis of how much I hate Constance Wu's bangs.

Even the real-life "Destiny" is not a fan of the bangs:

[Empress1]

On 9/25/2019 at 4:56 PM, Racj82 said:

I'm sorry.

All good!

[slowpoked]

And JLo's renaissance continues - she was just announced as the co-headliner of the next year's Super Bowl halftime show (the other is Shakira). 

If she ends up being a serious contender during the 2020 awards season, you cannot ask for a bigger platform to be noticed and be prominent on voters' minds than the Super Bowl halftime show. 

Kudos to her team for putting this altogether.

[methodwriter85]

I don't know if I see Jennifer Lopez as an Best Actress Oscar contender, but I can REALLY see her getting the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy.

I feel like they kept the tone just a bit too light for this to be a dramatic awards contender, but it was fun experience.

I absolutely LOVED the "Gimme More" sequence. Just perfect at catching that final year before America's economy collapsed. This would be a good companion piece to "The Big Short."

Also, as a shallow note, damn the passed out client they took the hospital had a really nice body on him. He kind of reminded me of Scott's dad from Teen Wolf.

[slowpoked]

14 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I don't know if I see Jennifer Lopez as an Best Actress Oscar contender, but I can REALLY see her getting the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy.

From what I've been hearing, they're not gunning for Best Actress, but rather, Best Supporting Actress. Which I think is fair enough, and would not be some form of category fraud. The movie does a good job of framing this as Destiny's story, and everyone else that she met along the way. I see JLo's role similar to Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids, although a little more prominent, with more screentime.

Quote

Also, as a shallow note, damn the passed out client they took the hospital had a really nice body on him. He kind of reminded me of Scott's dad from Teen Wolf.

Apparently, he's a nude stunt guy. Because, yes, of course, there is such a thing.

https://slate.com/culture/2019/09/hustlers-naked-guy-interview-rob-stats-nude-stunts.html

[biakbiak]

Lili Reinhart was giving me serious Britney Murphy vibes in this movie, I haven’t seen Riverdale but I look forward to seeing her again.

[HunterHunted]

On 9/19/2019 at 12:00 PM, Vixenstud said:

Heh, all I could think of was Kevin James in the King of Queens episode Pole Lox, where he's showing Carrie the correct way to use a stripper pole:

Kevin James is a really gifted physical comedian. One of his go to beats is that dichotomy between how his body looks and how it moves. He's actually very graceful. Think the Dance of the Hours in Fantasia-- graceful hippos and elephants.

@GaT You weren't kidding. Those bangs are terrible.

I don't know that I'll necessarily see this in the theater, but I'm surely going to watch on demand or through Amazon.

[slowpoked]

On 10/5/2019 at 2:33 PM, Sarah Heart said:

I agree. It's an okay movie, but Oscar buzz, I don't see it. Renee Zellweger as Judy should take home that honor ( jmho) she was incredible.

She's not going to compete against Renee as they will be in different categories. 

Also, while there is only one winner, there are five nominees. While the Supporting Actress field still seems to be a wide open field so far, JLo just has to be nominated for her to get that "Academy Award Nominee" intro to her name forever. The win will just be a bonus.

[Scarlett45]

I had wanted to see this but had been busy. 

I definitely liked the way the relationship between Destiny (Constance Wu) and Ramona (JLo) was developed. I do wish the other ladies had been flushed out a little bit more. When Destiny’s grandmother died my heart almost broke, I could feel the shock and grief through the screen. Something about Ramona’s character that came across really well, was that although she was gorgeous and very fit (duh because JLo is), she had no BLOOM, you knew she was not a young woman but someone holding onto this life because it was all she knew. JLo wasn’t trying to play the ingenue.

I could feel the ick factor through the screen when the women were desperate, this isn’t a judgement against strippers or people engaged in sex work, I’m saying how I could understand the financial desperation would lead people to be easily exploited (like the 3 20s instead of $300).  I am so glad no one died or had an adverse allergic reaction to being DRUGGED. 

On 9/28/2019 at 2:53 PM, slowpoked said:

Apparently, he's a nude stunt guy. Because, yes, of course, there is such a thing.

https://slate.com/culture/2019/09/hustlers-naked-guy-interview-rob-stats-nude-stunts.html

(Editing mine)

Yes I could see that! His muscles were very well defined (but not too bulky) and his proportions were perfect. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics' Choice Award nomination:

Best Supporting Actress – Jennifer Lopez

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Screen Actors Guild Award nomination:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Jennifer Lopez

[Chas411]

I think she’ll get an Oscar nod. 

[EtheltoTillie]

JLo is compelling to watch even in her silly romcoms.  But she always plays JLo. Still, many a movie star does that. 

[RealHousewife]

I don’t understand how J.Lo got any Oscar buzz for the role. The character wasn’t that difficult to play imo. As usual, I felt like I was just watching J.Lo. And let’s be honest, she flaunts her T&A more than any actress in Hollywood. Not sure why she said she was nervous and shy about playing a stripper. 

On a positive note, I will say I hope I look that good at 50! She has the best skin out there. 

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, RealHousewife said:

On a positive note, I will say I hope I look that good at 50! She has the best skin out there. 

She's stunning.  I also agree with your sentiments about the Oscar buzz.  But then, I didn't like the movie either.  I don't get the hype.

[RealHousewife]

10 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

She's stunning.  I also agree with your sentiments about the Oscar buzz.  But then, I didn't like the movie either.  I don't get the hype.

I thought it was an entertaining stripper movie that actually had a story to it. But the fact there was more to it than stripping didn’t make it anything special. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

J Lo at the Golden Globes:

 

[memememe76]

Thought it was terrific. I liked how the club’s strippers were always changing. Unlike Magic Mike where it was same people over and over again. They did a very good job of how transient this life is. 

[Megan]

Finally saw this on Showtime.

My main question; How Did Ramona keep that fancy ass apartment post 2008?

The one guy she claims she never slept with kept paying for it?  

And then after they start drugging dudes she gets an even fancier apartment?

Edited May 3, 2020 by Megan

[ICantDoThatDave]

I saw this & was not impressed.  It was just so... small.  Like nothing really happened or mattered.  I like "crime drama" movies, but they have to be *BIG* to capture my attention.

I can sympathize with the "criminal" easily enough, but in this case, who cares?  Like in Goodfellas or The Godfather, that's interesting because it's so high stakes.  But here?  Oh my!  They got six months probation!  It's just such a petty crime.  *shrug*  Like watching a pickpocketing racket.

Edited June 11, 2020 by ICantDoThatDave

[supposebly]

I just watched this. Somehow I was expecting a cheesy revenge comedy. That had surprising depth. And I'm JLo's age and I'm not even in shape enough to walk in those shoes without breaking something on my way down.

Very impressive.

[Bastet]

On 9/22/2019 at 9:00 AM, slowpoked said:

Most of all though, I loved the story of friendship between JLo and Constance. Their characters had real depth, and their friendship had real conflicts. It wasn't all rah-rah-rah. When they were pissed at each other, they fought and reacted like normal people do. When they were happy, they were genuinely in love and love each other. It's nice to see more female relationships like this depicted in the movies. 

I just watched this, and that's what I loved about the movie.  I wasn't sure I was going to like it (thus it taking me so long to watch), but since the heart of it was their relationship, I was completely drawn in.  If I'd realized it was written and directed by a woman, I'd have had more faith and watched sooner.  At least I finally did.

I also liked how much Ramona liked Destiny's grandma, and that it was genuine, not a patronizing, Oh, look at the cute little Asian grandma thing.  She loved hearing her stories.  I love the moment Ramona says "She's my spirit animal!"