"Hustlers": Overhyped
On Sept. 13, the new drama-thriller “Hustlers” hit theaters featuring stars Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Lizzo and Cardi B. The film follows strippers Ramona (Lopez) and Destiny (Wu) who turn to using drugs to exploit Wall Street men after the 2008 economy crash. In an effort to reap the benefits of working outside the law, the two form a band with fellow strippers Mercedes (Keke Palmer) and Annabelle (Lili Reinhart). With such a star-studded cast, it is no surprise that the film made an estimated $33.2 million it’s opening weekend. A big attraction for the movie was the number of cast stars. Famous rapper Cardi B and Riverdale star Lili Reinhart were expected to have prominent roles given their features on advertisements on billboards, but their screen time was a great deal shorter than implied. Cardi B played “Diamond from the Bronx,” an allusion to her stage name, no doubt, and possibly the name she used in her days as a stripper. Her role in the movie was swift and hardly worth mentioning; the movie could have done without her character. Lili Reinhart, on the other hand, was given a more notable role as part of the band of thieving women. Regardless, her character was probably only included to attract Riverdale fans. Several other roles received similar treatment, casting choice based off of popularity for stars Keke Palmer and Lizzo. Besides the initial thrill of seeing these celebrity figures, not much praise can be delivered regarding the storyline. The entire movie was, for lack of a better word, cluttered. Too much was going on at once. One minute, Destiny is broke, pregnant, alone, at rock bottom, and the next she is living the life in a wealthy neighborhood with a nice, new, fancy house and nice, new, fancy clothes. In the midst of all this chaos, it’s hard to see the overall message of the film: friendship. Current social issues, including the degrading and aggressive behavior of rich men towards women is explored, with a significant number of references to the corruption that leaves billionaires untouchable. Amidst these negative topics, there was an underlying theme of friendship throughout the movie. All of this was presented in a haphazard manner, however, scattered and separate in a fleeting 110 minutes. Despite my criticism regarding the overall set up of the movie, “Hustlers” is definitely not all bad: J-Lo has returned to the acting arena better than ever. Considering that this generation missed the hype from her glory days, the opportunity to see her for the multi-talented artist that she is cannot be passed up. So, to those on the fence about watching this movie, just buy a ticket.