Knowing that American Hustle (2013) received critical accolades and was also a box office hit, I had high expectations. I watched it last night, courtesy of Netflix. I was disappointed. I gazed at the clock several times, checking what was left of its 2:15 running time. It was a great showcase for its cast but bloated storytelling. Although I did not warm up to any of the characters, the performances were excellent. Having forgotten who many of the principals were, it was awhile before I realized Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner and Robert DeNiro were involved. Sexist pig that I am, I remembered only that Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence were players. I did not spot Elizabeth Rohm at all. I saw her name in the closing credits. Like Bale and DeNiro, she was heavily made up. And the role was so unlike the low-key ADA, Serena Southerlyn, she played on 85 episodes of Law & Order. This is by no means a bad film. The screenplay, co-written by Eric Warren Singer and director David O. Russell, is intelligent and requires thinking, so unlike many Hollywood vehicles. I suppose my lack of enthusiasm can be traced to my conservative nature. I’m not a fan of 70’s culture, particularly the overall tone and look of the movies produced back then, which AH captures perfectly. Like many of those works, the anti-heroes come off best and figures of authority worst. If there has ever been an FBI agent like the one Bradley Cooper depicts with manic energy, I’m not aware of it. The most sympathetic character is a liberal politician, who, against his instincts, is enticed into illegality because it will be a boon to his beloved constituency. There is a clever tie-in with the infamous Abscam scandal that undid several congressmen. I enjoyed trying to figure out who was conning whom. I thought Jennifer Lawrence’s character was fascinating. I understood why her estranged husband could not break from her entirely. I just couldn’t accept the prevailing philosophy of the film. The main promotional tagline was “Everyone hustles to survive,” which is true in terms of effort but false in terms of con. Although we all have sinned, few of us have bilked others out of a large sum of money. Popular culture has been defining deviancy down, to coin the phrase of Senator Patrick Moynihan, for decades. 215,000+ users have rated American Hustle at IMDb. They forge to a consensus of 7.4 of ten. On a scale of five, I say 3.25. My enjoyment was diminished by the lack of closed captioning, and the wide, narrow screen, no fault of the film itself. Russell has become a hot commodity, having done the equally successful Silver Linings Playbook in 2012. My favorite among his canon remains Three Kings (1999). Jennifer Lawrence’s talent blows me away.
RIP Kasey Kasem, legendary host of America's Top 40 radio program. Is there anyone of age in the United States who never listened to at least a portion of it? Surprisingly, he has 112 credits, mostly voice-overs, in TV and movies listed at IMDb. He is a member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He closed each show saying: "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars." Kudos, sir.
My thanks to the gentleman who purchased a book in Russian. Suddenly business has ground to a halt.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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