Jennifer Lawrence Delivers Oscar-worthy Performance In 'American Hustle'
Jennifer Lawrence is winning all the plaudits for her latest movie, David O'Russell's comedy-drama American Hustle. The film itself is a star-studded 1970s set epic and the critics universally agree that it will be amongst those vying for the major awards in early 2014.
It follows the story of a brilliant con man named Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) who, along with partner Sydney (Amy Adams) is forced to work for an FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) who pushes them into the dangerous world of Jersey mafiosi. The operation becomes more wide-reaching and Irving's wife (Lawrence) threatens to derail the entire thing.
"Jennifer Lawrence is entirely extraordinary, improving on the performance that won her an Oscar for Russell's last film. Long may this collaboration continue," said Time Out.
"Russell has always had a talent for harmonizing tragedy and comedy, seriousness and outlandishness, all within a precise tone that allows for a wide range of emotions and effects. But his hand has never been more sure," said the San Francisco Chronicle.
"An extremely entertaining, brilliantly acted, highly diverting film which - like all hustles - delivers less than it promises. Still, it's worth being taken for the ride," wrote Empire magazine.
Richard Roeper simply wrote, "The best time I've had at the movies all year."
Our very own Rich Cline wrote of Lawrence, "...the stand-out performance comes from Lawrence as a woman who is utterly sure of everything and also completely misguided. The extended sequence in which she and Adams circle around glaring daggers before finally confronting each other is a masterful bit of writing, directing, acting and editing, mainly because the scene seems to be about something else entirely."
Watch the American Hustle trailer:
American Hustle - which is almost guaranteed to score both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations - hits theaters on Friday (December 20, 2013).
Next page: read our full review of American Hustle.
Movie review: American Hustle,
By Rich Cline.
David O. Russell deploys his deranged genius to explore the real events behind Abscam, cleverly focussing on the inter-relationships rather than the details of the elaborate sting operation. So under the wild 1970s hair and costumes, we have a series of characters who are never very likeable but are still hugely engaging. Which makes this one of the most prickly, exhilarating movies of the year.
As the opening caption says, "Some of this actually happened". It's set in 1978 New York, where lowlife conman Irving (Bale) is making a decent living with his girlfriend Sydney (Adams). Although his wife Rosalyn (Lawrence) knows something is up.
Things get even more complicated when Irving and Sydney are cornered by FBI agent Richie (Cooper) and forced to co-operate in a complex scam to entrap mobsters and dirty politicians, including the likeable Mayor Polito (Renner), with whom Irving strikes up a friendship. As things develop, the sting continually threatens to spin crazily out of control. And Irving starts to worry that Sydney is getting far too close to Richie.
Intriguingly, even as the story gets more and more insane, Russell keeps the story grounded in the characters and the way they interact with each other. So their shifting relationships, power struggles and internal jealousies take centre stage, blurring the details of the undercover operation into the background. This may annoy viewers who want clear insight into Abscam, but it makes the movie much more involving. And it gives the actors a lot to work with. Each of them delivers a powerhouse performance that blends the character's distinct physicality with a complex inner life.
We can't help but be drawn to all of them, even though - or perhaps because - they're losers and don't know it. In this sense, the stand-out performance comes from Lawrence as a woman who is utterly sure of everything and also completely misguided. The extended sequence in which she and Adams circle around glaring daggers before finally confronting each other is a masterful bit of writing, directing, acting and editing, mainly because the scene seems to be about something else entirely. And this is Russell's genius: drawing us in before he reveals what he really wants us to see. This may be a telling story of human survival, but it's also breathtakingly entertaining cinema.