American Hustle is not a film that is meant to be taken seriously. If you couldn’t tell that from Christian Bale’s over-elaborate comb-over or Amy Adams’ deliberately horrible British accent, it must be obvious by the time Michael Peña quips, “Abscam? Arab scam? That’s racist.” Then when an uncredited cameo by a famous actor hamming it up in the kind of mobster role he is most recognizable for, you realize the film-makers are just having fun with you.
That’s actually a pretty good description of what this film is all about: just letting it all go and having fun. The costume designers sure look like they’re having plenty of fun with the tacky, loud suits, glittery, slinky dresses and Jeremy Renner’s gravity-defying hairdo. How else to explain why every outfit Amy Adams wears in the movie shows plenty of side-boob? Casting Louis C.K. as Bradley Cooper’s hapless and humourless boss at the FBI was certainly an in-joke all by itself.
Most of all however, the cast look like they’re having a party. There is over-acting and scenery-chewing galore. As my wife commented, given the goofy hijinks she seems to enjoy, Jennifer Lawrence must have had the time of her life making this film. She plays a total neurotic who at one point deliberately puts a metal tray into a microwave oven (“science oven” since this is the 1970s) out of spite despite having been warned not to. “Another fire!” her young son promptly exclaims.
There actually is a plot underneath all this buffoonery. It’s supposedly based on the real-life Abscam sting operation that the FBI conducted in the 1970s to catch corrupt politicians. But the film plays so fast and loose with the facts that it’s safer to say that it’s inspired by it instead. If you stop a while and think about large parts of the plot don’t make much sense. For such supposedly experienced con-men, the loan scam the pair run at the beginning seems incredibly simplistic and unworkable. Plus the final con they pull off is completely implausible given that this is the government they’re dealing with.
Superficially, it resembles a heist / con film but these films tend to have complicated and clever plots with lots of betrayals. That isn’t the case here. What this film offers instead is a riotous spectacle, full of energy, style and flash. The enthusiasm with which the actors play their characters is infectious. This makes for a movie that is supremely entertaining and fun to watch. But Oscar-worthy? Probably not.