Movie Review: American Hustle

It was an amusing, con action-packed way to spend two hours.  The directing and acting did a fine job of saving this thing's scrambled-eggs plot.  All four leads went way outside their usual roles and evidently had a merry old time doing this weird-o flick.  The frantic pace kept things amusing.

The main thing that seemed out of place was the treatment of The 70's.  The events here were set in '78-'81, but much of it felt like 1971.  It was all about "Hey, let's set a movie in the 70's!"  "Yeah and we can feature disco styles alongside toupees and whale-sized personal luxury cars!  More polyester!"  With nary a Pinto or a Vega anywhere to be seen.  It sort of did to the 70's what Lord of the Rings did to the Middle Ages.  Look back at the treatment of the 70's in X-Men: Days of Future Past to see the 70's done right.  The 70's were a time, not some weird greasy dress-up cult.

But that's a minor quibble.  This movie is all about the con, the scam, the frantic pace, and never quite trusting those closest to you.  It was a fun ride for a couple of hours.  But when it was over, I needed a shower to get the oily coating of smarm and synthetic fibers off my body.  2.5 out of 4 stars.

Despite the relatively low rating, I really did enjoy the movie.  Once.