In December of 2015, Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine article “The Hustlers At Scores” hit newsstands. It was an incendiary article about strippers from a New York club who drugged and robbed wealthy, scuzzy, Wall Street types in order to hustle a system that didn’t want them to succeed. Now, Lorene Scafaria (Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World) has brought the story to life in the intoxicating Hustlers. If Ready Or Not was the most fun you’d have in a horror movie this year, get ready for the best time you could possibly have at a strip club … without actually going to one, of course.
Hustlers follows Destiny (Constance Wu) as she joins the ranks of the pulsing strip club that will change her life. Daunted by the prospect of having to hand over more than half of her meager earnings to the scum bags who run the joint, she seeks out the help and mentorship of Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), the primo boss bitch of the club. They decide it’s time they get what they deserve, which is a fairer shake than their clients will ever offer them. In their minds, they’re just taking what they’re owed for their work and, sometimes, their humiliation.
But does it manage to tell a compelling story without glorifying crime? Does it offer something beyond a look at luxury? Hustlers is a bold, brash film about the power of women when they band together and the brokenness of a system that rewards the rich and punishes the poor with a side of some killer pole dancing. Read on for three reasons you’ll want to check out Hustlers in theatres this weekend.
1. Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu Are Mesmerizing
As if we hadn’t already fallen head over heels for Constance Wu’s economics professor, Rachel Chu, in Crazy Rich Asians, now you get to see her as a foul-mouthed stripper with lofty ambitions. Pairing her with Jennifer Lopez in what may be a career-best performance was just a stroke of genius. They’re the heart and soul of the film.
Wu’s Destiny, a young woman living with her beloved grandmother and struggling to make ends meet, wants nothing more than to be totally self-sufficient. Lopez’s Ramona, the intoxicating mistress of the club, wants to make money and grab power by the proverbial balls. The two form a surrogate mother-daughter bond, effortlessly leaning into deeper, more emotional moments, while showering each other with genuine care and affection during moments of levity. Their revelry is so infectious, you won’t want to miss a second. Nothing beats their first encounter; after watching Ramona do the most insane pole dance ever committed to the silver screen, Destiny heads up to the roof to bum a smoke and ask her for help. There she sits, the mighty Ramona, draped in expensive furs with sky-high heels and a particularly choice g-string bodysuit. “Climb into my fur” she coos at Destiny, her legs and coat open, without missing a beat. It’s pitch-perfect, and the start of a beautiful friendship.
2. The Strip Club Pre-2008 Recession
When we’re first introduced to the strip club it seems shady and shitty, a hellhole where the bosses and their buddies take the women for every cent they make. But that changes, and fast. As soon as Ramona enters the picture, it feels like someone turns on a light. Everything comes alive as the women begin to open up to one another and bond. The money starts to flow more freely, and Destiny starts to feel more secure and empowered.
There’s a lot to love about the women of this strip club. For starters, we get a short but hilarious cameo from Lizzo as she plays the flute for one of the girls’ new breast implants. Then there’s Cardi B, a natural in front of the camera as she offers Destiny a very necessary lap dancing 101 class. This is followed by a scene where the women of the club commiserate about having zero interest in sex when they get home at the end of the night, with Cardi proclaiming she’s found the perfect man – the Rabbit. The camera takes us through this world with swift, sweeping movements, the scenes cut perfectly, filled with bright neon lights. Everything feels like a party, one that the women of the film are fully in control of. It’s a happy space, and one you’ll wish you could sit in for an hour or two.
3. The Strength Of Unified Women And A Female Perspective
It must be said that they don’t always get along. Eventually, they start to evolve – and not always in positive ways. But the film is at its strongest when its women are unified, something it owes in large part to Scarafina’s screenplay.
When Ramona and Destiny first meet, we expect competition. Ramona is, after all, the top dog at the club. The highest earner, the star of the show, you’d think she’d want to keep the fledgling Destiny underfoot in order to avoid being overshadowed. But Scafaria takes things in a healthier direction, one that allows the women of Hustlers to work together and support each other. Strip clubs may seem like the dominion of men, a place for women to be objectified, their autonomy sometimes subjugated, but that’s not the case here. In Scarafina’s world, they’re in control. Not unlike the mood in the club before the recession hits, the women are vibrant and infectious. Hilarious, nuanced, and complex, they’re written as real, fleshed-out human beings rather than some fantasy that exists in a man’s mind. They’re in charge of their narrative and at their strongest when they work together, a luxury seldom afforded female sex workers in film.
A little overly long, Hustlers is hardly a perfect film. But length and pacing issues aside, it’s both incredibly fun and surprisingly poignant. With killer performances and some truly outstanding pole dancing (really, I can’t stress this part enough! It’s mesmerizing!) Hustlers is the most fun you’ll have in theatres this fall.
Hustlers is in theaters this weekend.
