"Some of this actually happened" David O. Russel tells us at the very beginning of American Hustle before leading into a long take of Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) fixing his, as Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) describes it, "elaborate" comb over. And boy, is it elaborate. But what we'll come to know through Irving's comb over is that he's just as elaborate; not what he seems at all, and consisting of many layers. He's a con man, but he has to be to survive.
And that's what the film is truly about; At the center of American Hustle's loud, obnoxious and zany retelling of the FBI led ABSAM scandal of the 70's, is a survival story.
Irving meets Sydney at a friend's pool party, where they are instantly drawn to one another due to their desire to be better than their upbringings. In Sydney's case she'd rather be anyone else, which is why she develops an alternate identity named Lady Edith Greensly, a wealthy British woman with banking connections, who can just so happen aide Irving in extorting money from helpless people.
Sydney and Irving have a good thing going for awhile; they fall deeper in love and expand their scamming business, and dream of leaving the country together to escape the con business and the disappointing lives they lead. However, when FBI agent Richie Demaso catches them, these dreams are put on hold. Sydney and Irving are then enlisted, in exchange for their freedom, to con corrupt politicians so Demaso can catch them in the act and boost his profile within the bureau. However, Irving's friendship with the mayor of Camden/potential victim Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) and his scheming wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) threaten to send the whole scam up in flames, and if that happens, so does Sydney and Irving's chances at survival.
The film has many different elements; it wants to be Goodfellas with all of the sudden zoom ins on principle characters, and it wants to be a 70's throwback with all of its "look at that hair" moments and beautifully decorated costumes. And as the film ticks closer to the end, it wants to be a caper that somehow retells the ABSCAM scandal. But what the film ultimately ends up being is an explosively entertaining jumbled mess that contains some truly wonderful performances and great one liners.
The editing is really haphazard, and the film's identity crisis is a direct result of this. Many things were clearly left on the cutting room floor; certain scenes, tones and characters experience massive changes suddenly sometimes within the same scene. The most troubling of them all is Amy Adams' performance; the film almost abandons her after she brings her character arc full circle and delivers the best acting in the entire film, only to bring her back for a couple of struts down the street for the sake of continuity. However, Adams' work is so strong, so committed and dignified that this doesn't take away from her work that made it into the final cut. Not only does Adams contend with the challenges of playing the very guarded Sydney, but she must believably play Lady Edith. Every move she makes, right down to the way she smiles, is calculated; not only does Sydney/Edith have to fool the con targets, but she must fool herself into believing everything. It's something that in the hands of a lesser actress could've been a disaster. Adams is usually a supporting player, sometimes shining brighter than the leads of the films they're sharing. Sydney marks a game change in her career; it's her first fully realized lead role, and she knocks it out of the park.
Christian Bale transforms himself (again) and completely embodies his character. Like Sydney, Irving is another great entry in Bale's repertoire of colorful characterizations which have included Dicky Ecklund, Patrick Bateman and Bruce Wayne. I'm actually very surprised Bale hasn't been receiving better raves because it's him and Adams that make it work. As loud and unbelievable as the film can be with its scenery chewing characters and toning changes, Adams and Bale sell the film more efficiently than their con artist characters; they're wonderful to watch, playing off of each other and contributing something to the other's performance. One hopes that they do more movies together after their work on The Fighter, and now American Hustle.
Bradley Cooper, hot off of his Oscar nomination for O. Russel's Silver Lining's Playbook, delivers a hilarious but over the top performance. He delivers some of the funniest lines in the film; His Richie is unapologetically so in your face to the point where it seems that Cooper couldn't stop once he started going, which is a testament to the character himself. Richie is so distracted by the greatness waiting for him at the end of the scam that he can't see Sydney and Irving are plotting behind his back.
Similarly over the top is Jennifer Lawrence, who doesn't fare as well as Cooper. Though the role was reportedly expanded in rewrites of the screenplay, she could have benefitted from some more screen time. Rosalyn is both a highlight, and a drawback; Lawrence's youth is so distracting, it's almost impossible to buy her as Bale's wife, no matter how young the character was written to be. It also doesn't help that her accent is shaky; I felt like I was watching Jennifer Lawrence play dress up in a film where Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale completely embodied their characters. But she's Jennifer Lawrence, and we know her to be entertaining and hilarious. That aide, she still manages to deliver a complex and funny character; her rendition of Live or Let Die is one of the memorable moments of any film released this year.
This is definitely O.Russel's least precise film to date; it's loose and fun and definitely entertaining. But in being loose and less precise than The Fighter or even Silver Lining's Playbook, he sacrifices control, and becomes a voyeur in the process; American Hustle becomes more of a showcase for its actors, while its director hides in the background. A lack of identity and sloppy editing makes this technique problematic. There are moments that feel they are there simply to exist; actors are acting for the sake of acting, not to serve the story or advance the plot. But for all its faults, it manages to entertain; it's an entertaining mess.
Oscar Chances: Picture, Director, Screenplay, Costumes and Supporting Actress are locks. I could also see a production nomination if the Academy likes it enough. Amy Adams is on the outside looking in for Lead Actress. If there's weakness between Meryl Streep or Judi Dench, she could benefit. Bale's hopes began and ended with his Golden Globe nomination; Lead Actor is too competitive. Bradley Cooper could get a nomination if the AMPAS like the film enough, but Daniel Bruhl from Rush has SAG behind him while Cooper does not, so that's also unlikely.
Grade: 7.5/10
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