Movie Review - The Hustle

PC: imdb

Movies... they’re something to look forward to at the end of a long day, something to talk about over the water cooler at work, something to do with a friend on a rainy afternoon. Movies are important to us! Also important is the way that women are portrayed in movies. Often, we are portrayed inaccurately, in ways that objectify or oversimplify us, and this can be extremely disappointing to us in the audience who are just hoping to see someone like us onscreen.

The Hustle, directed by Chris Addison and released last week, seeks to rectify these shortcomings by presenting a fun tale about two conwomen, acted by Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway, who seek to use stereotypes against women to cheat men out of their money. The two pretend to be flighty, senseless, attractive women in distress, causing men to rush to their aid and give them money and jewelry. Thus, they use the way they are underestimated to make themselves rich! Empowering, right?

However, the two women begin competing to see who can complete a better con, centered on tricking a kind-hearted young man. Both are soon outwitted by the man, and he reveals himself to also be a con artist! Thus, the man uses the exact stereotypes against the women that they sought to overcome, namely, their sexuality and their perceived “stupidity,” to outsmart them. Furthermore, at the end of the movie, the women end up joining the man to become a con-team that is no longer centered around overcoming stereotypes and tricking men.

While the movie was a hilarious romp full of laugh-out-loud moments, it failed women. It sought to start a conversation about the oppression of women, but it fell short when it abandoned its goal halfway through!