‘Hustlers’ full of heart, humor and fierce determination

By Chic DiCiccio

It’s hard to believe, but Jennifer Lopez hasn’t been in a memorable movie in roughly 20 years. After “Selena” and “Out of Sight,” she seemed destined for movie stardom. 

Not only does “Hustlers” wash away the stink of Lopez clunkers like “Monster In Law,” it establishes itself as a bonafide Best Picture Oscar contender. Also, by taking a backseat to star Constance Wu, Lopez becomes a virtual certainty to take home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. 

The driving force behind this dramatic turn of events is writer/director Lorene Scafaria. Her screenplay becomes the very first female-driven antihero movie ever made, and she didn’t need a gender-switch reboot or remake to do it. 

In fact, it should drive the final stake in the coffin of that wholly uninspired direction entirely. 

“Hustlers” takes place between 2007 and 2014 in New York and is told via an interview between Dorothy (Wu) and Elizabeth (Julia Stiles), a journalist investigating this wild story. In 2007, Dorothy is a young stripper who can’t get a leg up financially or on a dance stage pole. Her struggles are compounded by her responsibility to her elderly grandmother, who also raised her from childhood. 

Enter Ramona Vega (Lopez), whose initial appearance is an absolute showstopper. Dorothy (who dances under the name Destiny) is awestruck by Ramona’s presence, and the two of them strike up a work relationship, which quickly becomes maternal. Ramona shows Dorothy how to earn clients, and the cash comes pouring in. Eventually, real life smacks Dorothy in the face, and she’s forced out of dancing. The 2008 financial disaster makes stripping unprofitable, and Dorothy, unwilling to become nothing more than a prostitute, reignites her partnership with Ramona in a fairly genius, albeit criminal enterprise. 

Scafaria’s direction is flat out impeccable. Scenes of jubilation and success that naturally make you root for these characters are suddenly cut short by reminders of socio-economic barriers and the constant financial struggle for low to middle class women. 

There’s also the fact that these women aren’t exactly on the level, and what they’re doing, no matter how it’s justified, is fully illegal. 

Wu is excellent, and in any other movie, she’s the standout. Her subtle performance could easily be overlooked by the dominant presence of Lopez, which is on a scale that’s difficult to describe. 

If she decided to stop acting today, it won’t matter. “Husters” is a career-topping role and performance for Lopez that fulfills the promise from all those years ago. She goes from momma bear to vicious, claws-out attack dog at the drop of a hat and does it in glamorous fashion. Her charm and grace make a fairly despicable character completely lovable and crowd-pleasing, which is a trick that not many actors can pull off. 

“Hustlers” is way beyond simply being “a movie about strippers.” It’s a very feminist movie that touches on several social hot buttons without force feeding them to you. Even if you overlook the themes, it’s entertaining as all get out, with boatloads of heart and humor in the right spots. And by clothing Jennifer Lopez in next to nothing, it just may trick some bros into learning a thing or two.