The Hustle

Year 13, Day 68 - 3/9/21 - Movie #3,771

BEFORE: I'm slowly tapering off of romance films, really, that's the only way to do it - I don't want to stop too quickly, because I'll get the bends or something.  So a film with female con artists seducing men and taking their money, that's a pretty unstable thematic connection, perhaps.  But here in the post-February part of the chain, that's sort of OK.  I've got some more high-brow European-style material starting tomorrow, and it should carry me through to St. Patrick's Day. 

Also, I got my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, so in a few days I'll be as immune as I can be, until somebody finds out that there's a variant that's somehow immune to THAT.  We'll see, I guess, but I'm done with the vaccines, and frankly I'm done with the pandemic, except that I'm not, because it's still going on.  I still have to wear a mask and wash my hands and do all that other stuff, for appearances' sake, because it's too rude to carry around my vaccination card and shove it in people's faces to excuse my behavior.  But at least I can travel now, socialize and go visit my parents, maybe go see a movie, and I hope in a couple months everybody else can join me in doing those things.  It will be a gradual process of progress, I'm sure.  

Rebel Wilson carries over from "Isn't It Romantic". And today's Women History Milestones - on March 9, 1959, the Barbie doll, created by Ruth Handler, was introduced.  On March 9, 1863, American suffragist Mary Harris Armor was born. And on March 9, 2010, political activist Doris "Granny D" Haddock, who campaigned against nuclear testing in Alaska and advocated for campaign finance reform, passed away.  (Also, she walked across the entire U.S. between the age of 88 and 90!)

FOLLOW-UP TO: "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (Movie #89)

THE PLOT: Two con women - one low-rent and the other high-class - team up to take down the men who have wronged them.

AFTER: Well, I suppose if they can gender-flip "Ocean's 11" then they can do the same thing with "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". Honestly, it's been so long since I watched that Michael Caine/Steve Martin movie that I barely remember it.  That was almost 12 years ago!  I should probably re-review the plot of that movie to see how close this one came to it, what got changed and what stayed the same.  Hmm, the stories are remarkably close, except for the gender swaps.  They kept some of the same scams, including the main one, they kept the name of the fake doctor, the name of the French Riviera town, and so on.  The main update seems to be that the con artists' mark is now an internet millionaire/app developer, famous for creating the insult app "YaBurnt". 

You might think that this one would have the whole #Metoo thing going for it, and I'm betting that the filmmakers naturally assumed that the audience would all be rooting for the women here just because they ARE women, and their gender has been mistreated, underpaid, and denied so many opportunities over the years.  But I'm not sure that's what happened. Is that enough to get me to root for the criminals, the con artists, just because they're somehow taking back a bit of what they feel that their gender deserves?  Just because they think of this as some sort of reparations, does that excuse criminal behavior?  It's a very tricky question. 

And it's almost like somebody changed their mind about this, because when all is revealed at the end of the big scam, it's not like the women exactly came out on top here. It seems a little bit contrived that the scammers got scammed, like, if they're so good why didn't they see that coming?  But there are elements of the final switcheroo that just don't make any sense, here's where things really start to fall apart, which is a shame.  Sticking so close to the original storyline requires these con artists to do several dumb things, which honestly seems very out of character, after being told for the whole film what an expert con artist Josephine is.  Penny, I get it, she was blinded by emotion, but on the whole, it's two steps forward for the ladies here, but then also one step back.  They're allowed to be con artists, but not allowed to win the game, or as Howard Jones once sang, "You can stick your foot in the pool, but you can't have a swim.  You're the fastest runner, but you're not allowed to win." I'd say that no one is to blame, but clearly it's the patriarchy.  

NITPICK POINT: Shortly after Penny sits near Josephine on the train, she blatantly admits to being a con artist.  Is this information that a true con artist, even an amateur one, would give up so quickly? I think not. 

It's a bit hard to understand how the same film could be nominated for a People's Choice Award for best comedy, and also nominated for a Razzie Award for worst actress (Rebel Wilson). I guess opinion on this one is split?  Also, why single out Rebel Wilson when Anne Hathaway is at LEAST just as terrible here? 

Also starring Anne Hathaway (last seen in "Serenity"), Alex Sharp, Ingrid Oliver, Emma Davies, Dean Norris (last seen in "Death Wish"), Timothy Simons (last heard in "Ralph Breaks the Internet"), Rob Delaney (last seen in "Bombshell"), Tim Blake Nelson (last seen in "Angel Has Fallen"), Nicholas Woodeson (last seen in "The Death of Stalin"), Casper Christensen, Raffaello Degruttola (last seen in "Unlocked"), John Hales, Francisco Labbe, Aaron Neil (last seen in "Tolkien"), Hannah Waddingham, Rebekah Staton, Jocelyn Jee Esien, Alex Gaumond.

RATING: 4 out of 10 casino chips (Coincidentally, I was in a casino today after getting my vaccine shot at the racetrack next door.  But I couldn't find any slot machines I wanted to play - I only play quarter slots with multiple paylines - so I left without gambling.)