“The Hustle” Movie Review

    Like most Tuesday nights, my girlfriend and I decided to see a movie and sort of clear our heads after a long work week.  The fact that tickets are cheaper and it’s free popcorn day certainly doesn’t hurt either.  Well, on this particular day we decided to see “The Hustle” because Rebel Wilson is usually fairly funny.

    The film focuses on two very different con women with two very different approaches to their craft.  Josephine Chesterfield is a classy and refined con artist who goes after men with deep pockets.  Penny Rust, on the other hand, is crude and just looking for a quick buck.  After the two clash over territory and the best way to play a mark, the two decide the best way to settle their rivalry is making a bet over a man.  The two have to compete to see who can get five hundred thousand dollars from him.  Whoever loses the bet must leave and never come back.

    After the credits rolled, I remember commenting that the movie felt a little like “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” without realizing that it was, in fact, a remake of that film.  I have to admit, being such a movie buff, I felt a bit dumb not knowing that before hand.  The movie had a very 80s comedy feel to it but it didn’t exactly wow me.

   Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson play the two main characters.  The film unwisely focuses primarily on Anne Hathaway and I can’t help but feel an executive made that call because she is portrayed as sort of a vixen in the film which is an odd choice to me considering the goal in making this a female centered reboot is to get a female audience.  Rebel Wilson still does get plenty of screen time but a great deal of her funnier scenes were showcased in the film’s trailer..

    “The Hustle” has some funny moments and there were parts I laughed out loud, but there were also plenty of parts that went on way too long without a funny moment to be found.  For a movie that is a remake of a classic comedy and features a talented cast, I expected a bit more.  Ultimately, I didn’t hate the film but I was left feeling disappointed.

Grade: C-

“Isn’t It Romantic” Movie Review

    It’s been a little while since I have been able to go to the theaters lately.  You see, I live in Michigan, and for the last few weeks, we have been randomly hit with ice storms and extremely cold temperatures.  Of course, most of these storms hit while I am off from work.  This week however, I caught a break and so my girlfriend and I set off to catch a screening of “Isn’t It Romantic”.

    The film had a theatrical release here in America but was released directly to Netflix in most parts internationally.  The film revolves around a woman named Natalie who grew up cynical of romantic comedies due to her mother and is oblivious to her friend Josh’s feelings towards her partly because of her cynicism.  Natalie ends up getting knocked out and wakes up in a romantic comedy version of her life.  This event takes her through a time of self discovery.

    Rebel Wilson leads the cast as Natalie and she is one of the funniest actresses working today.  Even when she is given the best material, she always finds a way to get a giggle from her audience.  Liam Hemsworth plays the attractive object of Natalie’s desires who falls madly in love with her.  Liam Hemsworth doesn’t have the same screen presence as his brother Chris yet but he still holds his own in this film.  Lastly, Adam DeVine plays Josh, Natalie’s best friend and possible true love.  Now, I am going to say I am not a big fan of Adam DeVine.  While I enjoy a lot of projects he is in including “Workaholics”, his humor gets on my nerves very quickly.  Luckily, DeVine gives a relatively reserved performance and he has great chemistry with Rebel Wilson (no doubt from their time filming “Pitch Perfect” together).

    “Isn’t It Romantic” isn’t the type of movie that is going to win an Oscar but it wasn’t made to.  It was made to be a fun date movie that both partners can find humor in and it very much lives up to it’s goals.  The film was also original in an era where everything is a remake or sequel and it’s refreshing to see a movie be different and have fun.

    This film isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea of course, but you would be hard pressed to find a film that can generate chuckles from both the men and women of the audience.

Grade: B