By
Humbler Acts
"AFTER TWO HOURS AND... "
After two hours and nine minutes of this film, I'm reminded of a joke where some fellow goes to his rabbi, and says, "Rabbi! I think my wife is trying to poison me! What should I do?" After talking it over at length, this rabbi says that he'll call the man's wife and seek to find out just what's on her mind.
"AT LAST THE GUY GETS A... "
A few days pass... At last the guy gets a call from the rabbi, who sounds exhausted. He explains that he has just been on the phone with the man's wife for two hours... "Well" asks the fellow, "What do you think I should do?" "IF I WERE YOU," says the rabbi, "I'D TAKE THAT POISON!"
"THAT'S THE TORMENT EVOKED"
That's the torment evoked in this film. Yet it shows an ensemble of good actors- Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, plus Bob DeNiro, and Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner... surefire cast, right?
"THE ONLY THING THE FILM... "
The only thing the film needed was a decent story with real character growth. Instead it shows a full pack of desperate folk trying to entrap national pols to grab their bait and take the cash and show the public that the FBI nabs crooks. That's about as smart as it gets. The FBI started this entrapment after they'd had success recovering stolen goods. One of its catches was a couple (Christian Bale and Amy Adams); and rather than convict them, the agent, Bradley Cooper, decides he'll coerce them to help catch anyone who dares fall for his ruse.
"THIS WHOLE TALE IS ROOTED... !"
This whole tale is rooted in the famous ABSCAM scandal of the late seventies. The one decent politician whose disgrace I felt for was the then mayor of Camden, N.J. The guy was a decent human being-- and though he took money-- he took it to solidify the connections he was led to believe would bring economic stability to his region. The rest of the troupe on both sides of the law were fey characters-- soulless stick figures of the writers' fantasies... (E-mail note to film director, David O. Russell: Dave, please book your analyst a.s.a.p. See if she can help you get rid of your great need to show women walking around in broad daylight without benefit of modesty and good taste.)
"THERE ARE SO FEW WELL-WROUGHT...
There are so few well-wrought plot threads and so many outstretched ones that the story just hangs in there the same way a daredevil motorcyclist keeps his balance riding swiftly around the inside of a large circular tank... Yes, there are a couple of clever ploys that some might find worthy of reflection. As for me, they tickled only slightly once they'd sunk it.
"THERE HAS BEEN MUCH HOOPLA!"
There has been so much hoopla with this film: I'm at a loss to know the reason why. Perhaps we are intrigued with seeing live scumbags--with phony scams--roping in polsand reporting their work to U.S, taxpayers-and teaching-with some irony--"Politicians cleave to all kinds of thieving minds." Still... we need OUR minds and hearts cleaved. "AMERICAN HUSTLE failed to do that for me. Accordingly: No more than FOUR!
After two hours and nine minutes of this film, I'm reminded of a joke where some fellow goes to his rabbi, and says, "Rabbi! I think my wife is trying to poison me! What should I do?" After talking it over at length, this rabbi says that he'll call the man's wife and seek to find out just what's on her mind.
"AT LAST THE GUY GETS A... "
A few days pass... At last the guy gets a call from the rabbi, who sounds exhausted. He explains that he has just been on the phone with the man's wife for two hours... "Well" asks the fellow, "What do you think I should do?" "IF I WERE YOU," says the rabbi, "I'D TAKE THAT POISON!"
"THAT'S THE TORMENT EVOKED"
That's the torment evoked in this film. Yet it shows an ensemble of good actors- Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, plus Bob DeNiro, and Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner... surefire cast, right?
"THE ONLY THING THE FILM... "
The only thing the film needed was a decent story with real character growth. Instead it shows a full pack of desperate folk trying to entrap national pols to grab their bait and take the cash and show the public that the FBI nabs crooks. That's about as smart as it gets. The FBI started this entrapment after they'd had success recovering stolen goods. One of its catches was a couple (Christian Bale and Amy Adams); and rather than convict them, the agent, Bradley Cooper, decides he'll coerce them to help catch anyone who dares fall for his ruse.
"THIS WHOLE TALE IS ROOTED... !"
This whole tale is rooted in the famous ABSCAM scandal of the late seventies. The one decent politician whose disgrace I felt for was the then mayor of Camden, N.J. The guy was a decent human being-- and though he took money-- he took it to solidify the connections he was led to believe would bring economic stability to his region. The rest of the troupe on both sides of the law were fey characters-- soulless stick figures of the writers' fantasies... (E-mail note to film director, David O. Russell: Dave, please book your analyst a.s.a.p. See if she can help you get rid of your great need to show women walking around in broad daylight without benefit of modesty and good taste.)
"THERE ARE SO FEW WELL-WROUGHT...
There are so few well-wrought plot threads and so many outstretched ones that the story just hangs in there the same way a daredevil motorcyclist keeps his balance riding swiftly around the inside of a large circular tank... Yes, there are a couple of clever ploys that some might find worthy of reflection. As for me, they tickled only slightly once they'd sunk it.
"THERE HAS BEEN MUCH HOOPLA!"
There has been so much hoopla with this film: I'm at a loss to know the reason why. Perhaps we are intrigued with seeing live scumbags--with phony scams--roping in polsand reporting their work to U.S, taxpayers-and teaching-with some irony--"Politicians cleave to all kinds of thieving minds." Still... we need OUR minds and hearts cleaved. "AMERICAN HUSTLE failed to do that for me. Accordingly: No more than FOUR!
Humbler Acts, creator of "THE WIZARD'S OUTRAGEOUS SCHEME FOR
STOPPING SMOKING", reports one film every week as relaxation from his
speaking and writing on stopping smoking through dream use and Seven
Forces. He's American, English-educated, residing in St Louis, MO (USA).
He can be reached: humbleracts@aol.com or telephone: 314-574-7681.
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