The comedy The Hustle may seem like a fresh new film, but alas, it’s actually a remake. Specifically, a take on the classic 1988 flick Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (which itself was a re-imagining of the 1964 feature, Bedtime Story). So I should be upfront in saying that the 80s version has always been a personal favorite, featuring Steve Martin and Michael Caine as con men teaming up and eventually doing battle on the French Riviera. The newest adaptation also features a pair of great leads and a couple of funny moments, but won’t make the same kind of lasting impression.
Lonnie (Rebel Wilson) is a small-time hustler tricking men in bars out of their money by saying she’s raising cash for a breast enhancement for her sister. When she suddenly finds her way to France, she encounters Josephine (Anne Hathaway) an urbane and confident con woman skilled in lifting hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy marks. Josephine immediately thinks Lonnie’s arrival is bad for business, but is eventually blackmailed into training her. As their rivalry grows, the two eventually settle on a specific score to determine who is the best among them. Their target… the shy creative mind (Alex Sharpe) behind a successful app.
As mentioned, when one is so enamored with the previous version of the story, it really is difficult to judge without making comparisons. Wilson does manage to earn some laughs from Lonnie’s offhanded comments and a couple of the more absurd caricatures she’s forced into playing by Josephine (including a demented sibling). And when the big score on the tech genius comes into play, she also makes the most out of essaying the role of a woman suffering from “hysterical blindness”. Hathaway also ekes out a laugh or two, although her role veers overly into camp and exaggeration, rarely showing any real qualities beneath the facade.
But beyond a few little moments here and there, this all feels like an abridged and dulled version of the 1988 film. Many of the very same jokes are played out, yet they don’t have the same impact. Perhaps it is due to this reviewer’s familiarity with the source material, but it may have more to do with how the gags are presented. Certain scenes in the original film developed as more information was slowly revealed as to what was going on, the con men’s roles in the endeavor and additional complications were introduced. In this version, but most of the punchlines and twists are revealed immediately, and the cast members are forced into extending the bluntly delivered joke for as long as possible.
The original also included gorgeous cinematography of the French Riviera, beautifully lit and shot, contrasting its dastardly characters with the sunny and picturesque environment. This movie doesn’t make nearly as much use of locations. A trip to the airport and another scene late in the film look as if they were at least partly shot in front of a green screen. Again, all elements here pale in comparison.
If you’ve never seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and know nothing about what you are about to see, then you may get a chuckle or two out of this picture courtesy of co-star Wilson. However, those who know the property that it is based upon will quickly realize that with this copy, the quality in general isn’t nearly as sharp, incisive or impressive. In the end, The Hustle is simply a replica that doesn’t match its predecessor.