MOVIE REVIEW: HUSTLERS

Working as a stripper to make ends meet, Destiny's life changes forever when she becomes friends with Ramona -- the club's top money earner. Ramona soon shows Destiny how to finagle her way around the wealthy Wall street clientele who frequent the club. But when the 2008 economic collapse cuts into their profits, the gals and two other dancers devise a daring scheme to take their lives back.

Director: Lorene Scafaria

Cast: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo, Cardi B

Release Date: September 13, 2019

Comedy, Crime, Drama

Rated R for pervasive sexual material, drug content, language and nudity

Runtime: 1 h 50 min

Review:

Hustlers is a surprisingly engaging film mixed with a strong undercurrent of feminism and female friendship.  Lorene Scafaria has crafted a film that’s funnier than it is dramatic at any point.  You can’t help but feel that there’s probably a deeper story in there somewhere and we only get to know the characters on their most basic levels. Still, it’s entertaining easy flowing film that’s more fun than it deserves to be.  Scafaria keeps the action moving at a steady pace never lingering too much on anything in particular, this makes some of the more superficial aspects of film brush off easier.  Constance Wu carries the film with ease while showing off a hefty bit of range as she goes all in with her character.  Her character isn’t the showiest role in the film but it’s the heart and soul of the film.  Jennifer Lopez does solid work here even though you get the distinct feeling that she’s just playing a version of her own personality in real life with a stronger tan.  Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart are fun in supporting roles, unfortunately Julia Stiles is sadly underused.  Hustlers is the kind of crime dramedy just fun even if it’s not particularly deep.  

B

MOVIE REVIEW: SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

Steve Carell and Keira Knightley star in this apocalyptic comedy following two neighbors who set out for one last road trip after learning that a massive asteroid will wipe out all life on Earth in just three weeks. Dodge (Carell) and Penny (Knightly) are both having a very bad day. This mismatched pair spend their time on the road together, their journey takes on a new meaning -- one that neither could have ever seen coming, but which both sense was the way things were meant to be. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Lorene Scafaria

Cast: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry.

Release Date: Jun 22, 2012

Rated R for language including sexual references, some drug use and brief violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.

Genres: Romance

Review:

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a tonally uneven film that goes from one extreme to another. While the cast is committed to their roles and both bring some verifiable heart to the roles and story, you wouldn’t be the only to feel like you are watching 2 different films. During the first half of the film it works well as a dark comedy dealing with all the extremes that seem plausible in the face of impending doom. The 2nd half plays more like a romantic comedy with a heady philosophical slant. The shift is clunky and noticeable occurring as soon as the musical cues become more and more pronounced. Lorene Scafaria, who directed the underrated Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, seems to have a lot on her mind here and there’s some strong themes and ideas at work but she never seems to finds a steady cohesive flow for it all. Carrell and Knightley seem incredibly mismatched at first glance but as the film moves on they find a certain rhythm together, sharing some impressive yet subtle scenes together. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a strange film that could have worked had it picked a direction and stuck with it. That being said, if you prep yourself for a massive shift in tone, you may find plenty to like here.

B-