I went to see American Hustle this afternoon since I don't like hearing too much about a film and see its success without having watched it. I have to say I had great expectations, which unfortunately got quite disappointed.
Firstly, the film uses its main commodity, the extensive use of stars, to deliver its status. Even though I should not go this far, since I have not seen all the nominations for Best Picture for the Oscars, I would say that this film does not configure as the best I have seen, if not for the performances.
I found the plot rather confusing, even though it is pretty basic: "David O Russell's brazen, nerve-jangling, irresistibly watchable
black comedy American Hustle is loosely based on a true story
from the 1970s of how the FBI forced a notorious New Jersey conman to help
entrap corrupt politicians with the offer of bribes from a "fake sheikh",
a scam later beloved in British tabloid circles" (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian) and I think the cinematic time was far too long for the development, since I could see the plot developing, but the characters remaining quite flat.
Even Jennifer Lawrence in the role of Rosalyn, for as much as her performance was good, was marginal and used to fill comic spaces, funny and amusing yes (the "To live or Let Die" scene, especially), but not sufficient to compensate big lacks in the script.
What I enjoyed the most about the performances was the fact that each character was performing himself/herself in turn, from Christian Bale's Irving Rosenfeld, to Amy Adams' Sydney Prosser each of them is performing a show, a desired self.
The power of the film also consists in its drawing on quotable pieces of dialogue (the microwave scene for example), extractable sequences, and a super-catchy soundtrack displaying the allure of the 70s.
My favourite moment was the cameo appearance of Robert De Niro as Victor Tellegio, nonetheless one of the father figures of the "gangster" movies, in the brief shot in which we see him shooting a man all I was thinking was: Here's my man. This said, he was almost put in contrast with the con-players interpreted by Bale and Cooper, the old and the young, and I am sorry, but I would always choose the Scorsese's De Niro.
I genuinely think American Hustle is a well packaged Hollywood product: easily accessible and enjoyable, based on stardom, and focusing on certain sequences made to impress and engage the viewer.
In the end, I found it difficult to find any point of identification, I was feeling pitiful for those figures, neither epic, nor comedic, nor tragic, rather a mixture of all the above which did not manage to develop well-rounded characters.
I would still go see it for a good laugh and a nice screening experience!
What I enjoyed the most about the performances was the fact that each character was performing himself/herself in turn, from Christian Bale's Irving Rosenfeld, to Amy Adams' Sydney Prosser each of them is performing a show, a desired self.
The power of the film also consists in its drawing on quotable pieces of dialogue (the microwave scene for example), extractable sequences, and a super-catchy soundtrack displaying the allure of the 70s.
My favourite moment was the cameo appearance of Robert De Niro as Victor Tellegio, nonetheless one of the father figures of the "gangster" movies, in the brief shot in which we see him shooting a man all I was thinking was: Here's my man. This said, he was almost put in contrast with the con-players interpreted by Bale and Cooper, the old and the young, and I am sorry, but I would always choose the Scorsese's De Niro.
I genuinely think American Hustle is a well packaged Hollywood product: easily accessible and enjoyable, based on stardom, and focusing on certain sequences made to impress and engage the viewer.
In the end, I found it difficult to find any point of identification, I was feeling pitiful for those figures, neither epic, nor comedic, nor tragic, rather a mixture of all the above which did not manage to develop well-rounded characters.
I would still go see it for a good laugh and a nice screening experience!
Rosalyn Rosenfeld: Life is ridiculous. And you know that I would never say anything bad about your father in front of you, but your father is a sick son-of-a bitch.
Danny Rosenfeld: Daddy’s a sick son-of-a-b****?
Rosalyn Rosenfeld: Don’t repeat that… but yes.
