Ahhhh Oscar buzz. It's a strange thing sometimes. Early sure things get left out of the nominations, icons are snubbed for years, some people are nominated every time even if undeserved occasionally, and sometimes unlikely films become the big picture of the year out of the blue. Last year it was Argo that snagged some well deserved nominations and the directing statuette after being very low key but succeeding on word of mouth. And American Hustle looks like being this year's Argo. Apart from some leaked photos of Bradley Cooper's tightly permed 70s locks, the latest film from David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) was flying pretty well under the radar until it hit cinemas a few weeks ago. Now it's the next big thing, with Golden Globe nominations for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Interestingly the acting and best film awards are sitting under the "Musical or Comedy" category though. While there are definitely humourous moments in the film, I would still classify this as a drama but I guess if you put it up against the films in the drama category, it probably wouldn't have made the cut so maybe they stuck it in the comedy section to give it a go?
Anyhow, let's talk about the movie which is loosely based on true events. Small time con-man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale again suffering for his art by gaining quite a few kilos and shaving his head to provide a spectacular comb-over) meets Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and it's love at first sight. She has come to the big smoke to make it big and he finds a willing partner in his loan shark scheme which becomes so successful that they soon come to the attention of FBI Agent Richie DiMasso (Bradley Cooper). Richie catches Sydney in her British accented conwoman mode taking a cheque and uses her incarceration to force Irving and Sydney into a sting to capture the corrupt New Jersey mayor (Jeremy Renner far from his Avengers Hawkeye action man role). From here, things get complicated and you will need to really keep your eyes and ears open to follow all the plot strands, especially when the movie is being told by cutting between flashbacks and current times.
Richie needs Irving and Sydney to teach him the art of conning if he is to capture his target, but he proves to be a poor student. Sydney is conning Richie into thinking she is falling for him (or is she really falling for him - neither she nor Irving seem sure), Irving has to deal with his highly strung wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) who he doesn't love but can't leave, Richie is having trouble with his boss, Mayor Polito is the most likeable corrupt mayor ever making Irving regret his actions, and then the sting escalates as the mob start to get involved in the transaction and then some high level politicians may or may not become involved. Richie starts to get greedy, while Irving gets more and more nervous and Sydney starts to unravel as she is caught in the middle of the emotional rollercoaster between all the main characters.
The 70s setting provides an opportunity for the production team to create some absolutely stunning period detail and the costumes and hair are all great. The film looks fantastic and the soundtrack is superb. And the acting is wonderful from all, especially Jennifer Lawrence who definitely deserves all the accolades she has been receiving recently. Her house cleaning scene has to be one of the best I saw all year. And Amy Adams' boobs (or their Hollywood tape) should probably get a 'supporting' nomination of their own, being featured via plunging V-necks in almost every scene she's in. The thing about this movie though is that it is a fairly involving and enjoyable story but ultimately falls short of greatness by not making you care about any of the characters and not quite hitting the mark with the deeper issue it tries to explore. There is something being said about how we all con ourselves but about what and how to stop I'm not sure it actually answers. Maybe you're just too distracted by the twists and turns of the sting to notice. In the end the character I felt most sorry for in all of it was 'baddie' Mayor Carmine Polito.
This was the last movie I saw in 2013 and while I enjoyed it while it was on, I didn't love it and I personally don't think it deserves to win any Best Film or Best Director awards. It definitely suffers in comparison to Silver Linings Playbook which had the same director and some of the same actors, but landed all the emotional punches.
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