American Hustle

American Hustle is a 2013 American black comedy crime film[4] directed by David O. Russell. It was written by Eric Warren Singer and Russell, inspired by the FBI Abscam operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s.[5] It stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams as two con artists who are forced by an FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) to set up an elaborate sting operation on corrupt politicians, including the mayor of Camden, New Jersey (Jeremy Renner). Jennifer Lawrence plays the unpredictable wife of Bale's character. Principal photography on the film began on March 8, 2013, in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts, and New York City.

This article is about the 2013 film. For the 2007 film, see Katt Williams: American Hustle.

American Hustle
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid O. Russell
Produced by
Written by
Starring
Music byDanny Elfman
CinematographyLinus Sandgren
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • December 8, 2013 (2013-12-08) (Ziegfeld Theatre)
  • December 13, 2013 (2013-12-13) (United States)
Running time
138 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million[2]
Box office$251.2 million[3]

American Hustle was released nationwide in the United States on December 13, 2013.[6] It opened to wide acclaim from critics, who praised its screenplay and ensemble cast. The film received ten nominations at the 86th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Bale), Best Actress (Adams), Best Supporting Actor (Cooper), and Best Supporting Actress (Lawrence),[7] but did not win in any category. It received three BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Plot

In 1978, con artists Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser have started a relationship, and are working together. Sydney has improved Rosenfeld's scams, posing as English aristocrat "Lady Edith Greensly". Irving loves Sydney, but is hesitant to leave his unstable and histrionic wife Rosalyn, fearing he will lose contact with his adopted son Danny. Rosalyn has also threatened to report Irving to the police if he leaves her. FBI agent Richie DiMaso catches Irving and Sydney in a loan scam, but offers to release them if Irving can line up four additional arrests. Richie believes Sydney is English, but has proof that her claim of aristocracy is fraudulent. Sydney tells Irving she will manipulate Richie, distancing herself from Irving.

Irving has a friend pretending to be a wealthy Arab sheikh looking for potential investments in America. An associate of Irving's suggests the sheikh do business with Mayor Carmine Polito of Camden, New Jersey, who is campaigning to revitalize gambling in Atlantic City, but has struggled in fund-raising. Carmine seems to have a genuine desire to help the area's economy and his constituents. Richie devises a plan to make Mayor Polito the target of a sting operation, despite the objections of Irving and of Richie's boss, Stoddard Thorsen. Sydney helps Richie manipulate an FBI secretary into making an unauthorized wire transfer of $2,000,000. When Stoddard's boss, Anthony Amado, hears of the operation, he praises Richie's initiative, pressuring Stoddard to continue.

Carmine leaves their meeting when Richie presses him to accept a cash bribe. Irving convinces Carmine the sheikh is legitimate, expressing his dislike of Richie, and the two become friends. Richie arranges for Carmine to meet the sheikh, and without consulting the others, has Mexican-American FBI agent Paco Hernandez play the sheikh, which displeases Irving. Carmine brings the sheikh to a casino party, explaining that mobsters are there, and that it is a necessary part of doing business. Irving is surprised to hear that Mafia boss Victor Tellegio, right-hand man to Meyer Lansky, is present, and that he wants to meet the sheikh. Tellegio explains that the sheikh needs to become an American citizen, and that Carmine will need to expedite the process. Tellegio also requires a $10,000,000 wire transfer to prove the sheikh's legitimacy.

Richie confesses his strong attraction to Sydney, but becomes confused and aggressive when she drops her English accent and admits to being from Albuquerque. Rosalyn starts an affair with mobster Pete Musane, whom she met at the party. She mentions her belief that Irving is working with the IRS, causing Pete to threaten Irving, who promises to prove the sheikh's investment is real. Irving later confronts Rosalyn, who admits she told Pete and agrees to keep quiet, but wants a divorce. With Carmine's help, Richie and Irving videotape members of Congress receiving bribes. Richie assaults Stoddard in a fight over the money, and later convinces Amado that he needs the $10,000,000 to get Tellegio, but gets only $2,000,000. A meeting is arranged at the offices of Tellegio's lawyer, Alfonse Simone, but Tellegio does not appear.

Irving visits Carmine and admits to the scam, but says he has a plan to help him. Carmine throws Irving out, and the loss of their friendship deeply upsets Irving. The federal agents inform Irving that their $2,000,000 are missing, and that they have received an anonymous offer to return the money in exchange for Irving and Sydney's immunity and a reduced sentence for Carmine. It is revealed that Alfonse Simone, with whom Richie had arranged the wire transfer, was a con man working with Irving and Sydney. Amado accepts the deal, and Stoddard removes Richie from the case, which ends his career. The Congressmen are prosecuted, and so is Carmine, who is sentenced to 18 months in prison. Irving and Sydney move in together and open a legitimate art gallery, while Rosalyn lives with Pete and shares custody of Danny with Irving.

Cast

Production

Development

The film began as an Eric Warren Singer screenplay titled American Bullshit. It was listed at #8 on the 2010 Black List of unproduced screenplays. The production was set up at Columbia Pictures, with Charles Roven and Richard Suckle producing through Atlas Entertainment, who initially considered Ben Affleck to direct, before David O. Russell ultimately signed on to helm the film.[9] Russell re-wrote Singer's screenplay, replacing the characters with caricatures of their respective real-life figures.[10] Russell regarded Hustle, a highly fictionalized version of the Abscam scandal of the late 1970s and early 1980s, as the third in a loose trilogy of films about ordinary people trying to live passionate lives.[11]

Filming

Principal photography started on March 8, 2013, and wrapped in May 2013.[12][13] The film was shot in and around Boston, Massachusetts (such as in Worcester), and in New York City.[14][15] Filming was put on hold in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings with the city in lockdown. After lockdown was lifted, the film wrapped its Boston shoot and spent its final few days of production in New York City.[16]

Release

Director David O. Russell released the teaser trailer for the film on July 31, 2013,[17] and a theatrical trailer was released on October 9, 2013.[18] The film received nationwide United States release on December 13, 2013.[19]

American Hustle was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 18, 2014.[20]

Reception

Critical response

American Hustle received critical acclaim, and the cast received praise for their performances, notably Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.[21][22][23] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 92% rating, based on 290 reviews, with an average score of 8.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Riotously funny and impeccably cast, American Hustle compensates for its flaws with unbridled energy and some of David O. Russell's most irrepressibly vibrant direction."[24] Metacritic gives a score of 90 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[25]

Christy Lemire awarded the film four out of four stars, praising David O. Russell's directing and the relationship between Irving and Sydney, as well as Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Rosalyn. She writes: "For all its brashness and big personality, American Hustle is a character study at its core—an exploration of dissatisfaction and drive, and the lengths to which we're willing to go for that elusive thing known as a better life."[26] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film an A+, especially complimenting Bradley Cooper's performance and stating that American Hustle was "the best time I've had at the movies all year". He later named it the year's best film.[27] Time magazine's Richard Corliss wrote: "American Hustle is an urban eruption of flat-out fun — the sharpest, most exhilarating comedy in years. Anyone who says otherwise must be conning you."[28]

Peter Debruge of Variety was critical of the film, calling it "a sloppy sprawl of a movie" and complaining that the improvisational performances overwhelm, instead of adding to a coherent plot. He also went on to write that it "makes your brain hurt — and worse, overwhelms the already over-complicated Abscam re-telling at the center of the film".[29]

Top ten lists

American Hustle was listed on many critics' top ten lists.[30]

Box office
American Hustle is Russell's highest-grossing film[3]

Variety estimated the production budget at $40 million. When producer Charles Roven was asked if the budget was in the $40 to $50 million area, he responded: "I'd say that's a good zone."[2][3]

The film earned $150.1 million in North American and $101.1 million in international markets, for a total worldwide of $251.2 million.[3][32] It made a net profit of $27 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film.[33]

Accolades

Main article: List of accolades received by American Hustle

American Hustle received seven Golden Globe Award nominations; it won for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, with Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence winning Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, respectively.[34][35]

The film received 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and all four acting categories,[7] but did not win in any category. The film received the second highest number of nominations for a film which did not win any Oscars, a distinction it shares with True Grit and Gangs of New York, after the 11 for 1977's The Turning Point and 1985's The Color Purple. It was the 15th film ever to be nominated in the four acting categories, and only the second since 1981, after 2012's Silver Linings Playbook, which Russell also directed.[36] Of the fifteen such films, it joins only 1936's My Man Godfrey and 1950's Sunset Boulevard to not win any acting awards.[37]

The film took top honors at the 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture.[38]

The film was nominated for 10 British Academy Film Awards, with Jennifer Lawrence winning for Actress in a Supporting Role, and David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer winning for Best Original Screenplay.[39][40]

Lawsuit

In October 2014, science writer Paul Brodeur filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers and distributors of American Hustle based on a line in the film in which Rosalyn tells Irving that microwave ovens take the nutrition out of food, stating that she read so in an article by Brodeur. In real life, Brodeur has written books including The Zapping of America about the dangers of microwave radiation, but claims that he has never stated that the process removes a food's nutrition.[41][42] The defendants immediately filed a motion under California's anti-SLAPP statute to strike the complaint and award them attorney fees, which the trial court initially denied.[43] The decision was reversed by the California Court of Appeal, which held that the motion should have been granted because "the general tenor of American Hustle, the entirely farcical nature of the 'science oven' scene, and the ditzy nature of the character uttering the allegedly defamatory statement, all indicate that an audience would not expect anything Rosalyn says to reflect objective fact" and that, in view of this, Brodeur "failed to carry his burden of showing a probability of prevailing on his defamation claim".[44]

Historical accuracy

American Hustle is a dramatization of the FBI's "Abscam" sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others. The film does not attempt to directly document the events of Abscam. The names are changed, and the film begins with the on-screen message, "Some of this actually happened".[45] Major departures from reality include:

  • In the film, Irving Rosenfeld begins a life of criminality when he smashes storefront windows as a child in order to provide more work for his father's glass-installation business. In real life, Melvin Weinberg began working for his father only as an adult. He did smash windows at that point, and according to one article after Abscam was revealed, it was indeed done to shore up business for Weinberg's father.[46] A later report states that it was done at the behest of the local union, to punish businesses who used non-union glaziers.[47]
  • In the film, Camden Mayor Carmine Polito is shown as a selfless politician who gets involved in the scam only to provide jobs to his constituents; Irving feels so bad for Carmine that he engineers a reduced sentence for him. In reality, Camden mayor Angelo Errichetti had a reputation for committing crimes, despite being widely praised for caring about the people of Camden. During the Abscam operation, he offered to get the fake sheik into illegal businesses such as money counterfeiting and drug smuggling. Though Weinberg developed a fondness for Errichetti as a man who "didn't beat around the bush", he made no attempt to protect Errichetti from prosecution.[47]
  • Evelyn Knight, Weinberg's mistress on whom the character of Sydney Prosser is based, was involved in Weinberg's scams, though to a lesser extent than shown in the film; and she was not involved in Abscam. She was also English, not an American impersonating an English woman as shown in the film.[45]
  • Weinberg's wife Cynthia Marie Weinberg, the basis for Rosalyn Rosenfeld, is not known to have had an affair with someone from the mafia, nor did she nearly blow Weinberg's cover. She was also of similar age to Melvin Weinberg, while the character of Rosalyn is portrayed as being significantly younger than her husband.[48]
  • The character of Richie DiMaso is based to some extent on federal agent Tony Amoroso, although in real life Amoroso was just one of a number of agents involved in setting up and executing the scam.[48]
  • In the film, the sheik is impersonated by a Mexican-American FBI agent. In real life, the sheik was played by two different agents: first briefly by an Irish-American, Mike Denehy, who spoke no Arabic, then by a Lebanese-American.[47][48]

References
  1. "American Hustle (2013)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  2. Steve Chagollan (November 19, 2013). "'Hustle' Ups Ante for Charles Roven, David O. Russell". Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2013. When pressed with a $40 million-$50 million figure, Roven responds: "I'd say that's a good zone."
  3. "American Hustle". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  4. Peter Bradshaw (January 13, 2014). "Golden Globes 2014: Don't Be Duped by American Hustle". The Guardian. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  5. Sherman, Ted (November 25, 2013). "Jersey Hustle: The real-life story of Abscam". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  6. Caroline Westbrook. "Jennifer Lawrence begins work on untitled Abscam project with Bradley Cooper". Metro.co.uk. March 22, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  7. "The Nominees: Recognizing the year's best films". The Oscars. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  8. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1800241/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
  9. "Affleck Eyes Blacklist Abscam Drama", Deadline.com, January 18, 2011
  10. Denby, David (December 6, 2013). "Grand Scam "American Hustle"". The New Yorker (December 2013 issue). Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  11. Elle Leonsis (December 11, 2013). "David O. Russell: In Conversation". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  12. "David O Russell's 'American Hustle' Halts Production Because Of Boston Manhunt". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. April 19, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  13. "David O. Russell wraps work on 'American Hustle'". Boston.com. May 13, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  14. Warner, Kara (April 16, 2013). "David O. Russell's Next Movie Now Called 'American Hustle'". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  15. "Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams strip in American Hustle trailer". India Today Online. August 1, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  16. "Boston Manhunt Forces Shutdown on American Hustle", Yahoo.com, April 19, 2013
  17. "Hot Teaser: David O. Russell's 'American Hustle'". Deadline.com. July 31, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  18. "Cooper, Lawrence reunite in American Hustle trailer". October 10, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  19. "First Look: David O. Russell's 'American Hustle'". USA Today. July 29, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  20. "American Hustle - Blu-Ray". IGN. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  21. Rooney, David (December 4, 2013). "American Hustle: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  22. Chang, Justin (December 4, 2013). "Film Review: 'American Hustle'". Variety. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  23. Macnab, Geoffrey (December 19, 2013). "American Hustle, review: 'Jennifer Lawrence is brilliant as the neurotic housewife'". The Independent. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
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  25. "American Hustle Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  26. Lemire, Christy (December 13, 2013). "American Hustle". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  27. Roeper, Richard (December 13, 2013). "American Hustle". Chicago Sun-Times via RichardRoeper.com. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  28. Corliss, Richard (December 5, 2013). "American Hustle: Sex, Scandal and Flat-Out Fun". Time. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  29. Debruge, Peter (December 16, 2013). "How American Hustle Conned the Critics". Variety. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  30. "2013 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic.
  31. https://web.archive.org/web/20140329124212/http://blogs.indiewire.com/carynjames/topten2014
  32. "American Hustle".
  33. "Sony Hack Reveals Top-Secret Profitability of 2013 Movies". The Hollywood Reporter. December 5, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  34. "Golden Globes 2014: full list of winners". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. January 13, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  35. Variety Staff (January 12, 2014). "Golden Globe Winners: Complete List". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  36. Ehbar, Ned (February 28, 2014). "Did you know?" Metro. New York City. p. 18
  37. "Oscar Nominations by the Numbers: Fun Facts and Shocking Stats". The Hollywood Reporter.
  38. Associated Press (January 18, 2014). "American Hustle takes Screen Actors Guild award to edge ahead for Oscars". The Guardian. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  39. "BAFTA Film Awards 2014 – nominations in full". Digital Spy. January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  40. "Bafta Film Awards 2014: Full list of winners". BBC News. February 16, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  41. Siegemund-Broka, Austin (October 31, 2014). "'American Hustle' Sparks $1 Million Libel Suit Filed by Former 'New Yorker' Writer". Yahoo Movies. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  42. D'Addario, Daniel (October 31, 2014). "American Hustle Microwave Scene Sparks Lawsuit". Time. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  43. Brodeur v. Atlas Entertainment, Inc., 248 Cal. App. 4th 665, 668 (2016).
  44. Brodeur v. Atlas Entertainment, Inc., 248 Cal. App. 4th 665, 681 (2016).
  45. Hughes, Evan (December 12, 2013). "How Much of American Hustle Actually Happened?". Slate.com.
  46. "Mel Weinberg". People. People. December 29, 1980. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  47. So, Jimmy (December 17, 2013). "The Real Story and Lesson of the Abscam Sting in 'American Hustle'". The Daily Beast.
  48. Dockterman, Eliana (December 16, 2013). "American Hustle: The True Story". Time.
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