Hustlers review – Jennifer Lopez is a star reborn

Packed with dazzling energy, forthright feminism, and palpable camaraderie between a cast of totally game-for-it stars, here’s the movie that Ocean’s Eight should have been. Whereas that all-girl yarn was weighed down by a bland story and bad chemistry, Hustlers is a hoot. With writer/director Lorene Scafaria at the helm, it even has something to say. And at its centre, Jennifer Lopez, so good here it’s like watching a star being reborn amongst the flashing lights, shiny poles, and flying dollars of the Manhattan strip scene.

Constance Wu, fresh from a one-note performance in Crazy Rich Asians, fares way better as “Destiny,” a go-getter determined to make it on her own in the big city. Before long, veteran Ramona (Lopez) is teaching her the ropes at a swanky strip club and together they’re making a fortune. These glory days are short-lived, however: the 2008 financial crash hits, leaving the strip club without its frivolous clientele, and its strippers without jobs. It’s only later – after having a baby and failing to land a retail job – that Destiny rekindles with Ramona and their master plan is hatched: an extortion scheme that turns the tables on the Jordan Belfort-style bankers who caused the crash in the first place. And it works. For a while.

Hustlers doesn’t break the mould as much as it nails a pre-existing one. We’ve seen this sort of story played out countless times (hello, Magic Mike), though Hustlers has more on its mind than scantily-clad girls. Instead it works as an inverse Wolf of Wall Street – a feminist fantasy about taking the power back. There is more than a little of Scorsese’s influence, too, from Wu’s self-aware, Henry Hill-esque narration, to the inventive tracking shots. The film – based on a New York Times article – doesn’t necessary ask you to agree with what these woman did, either; instead it asks you to maybe understand why.

There are a few issues. Hustlers has a thing for repetition. It’s also broad enough that it rarely feels like anything is truly at stake; even when the girls are forced to take responsibility for their actions, there’s never really any sense of danger. By the end, it’s difficult to know what to make of the film’s moral position (if it has one). Still, the pleasures far outweigh the problems. The chemistry between the strippers has a lived-in authenticity, and there are lines that feel primed to enter the public consciousness (“Doesn’t money make you horny?”). Wu, especially, deserves credit for finding a balance between resolute and fish out of water.

Then, of course, there is Lopez, who lights up the screen like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Her mesmerising performance is a reminder that some parts are reserved for proper movie stars. Her tantalising introductory scene – a feat of pure athleticism – shows a woman in total control of her sexuality. It’s a moment that promises a lot. Lopez more than delivers. Sixteen years later, we can finally forgive her for making us sit through Gigli.

★★★★☆

By: Tom Barnard

Get Hustlers showtimes in London.