”No metal in the science oven”
And when I laughed, it came with a feeling of confusion as to why I was finding the whole deal so hilarious.
Originally written in 2013
So I guess I never really knew what to expect from American Hustle. The trailers hinted at some sort of protagonist's rise and fall, á la Casino or Goodfellas. Stylistically - with costume and soundtrack in particular - that may be true. But I had no idea I would be laughing during this movie. Like, a lot. And when I laughed, it came with a feeling of confusion as to why I was finding the whole deal so hilarious. I mean some of it was logically, simply, funny; the dynamic between Bradley Cooper and unknown comic could've been great schtick from an exceptional buddy cop movie, for example. But more often, the humor of Hustle struck rich in simultaneously absurdist and existential veins. (Note: I really tried to avoid using that word "existential", as it makes the rest of this little blurb for the initiated a bit of a foregone conclusion.) This was somehow a vaguely familiar humor, from a beloved film of my past, sitting, to my frustration, just beyond the scope of perceivable memory. It was only in the closing credits that clarity arrived. Director David O. Russell also made I Heart Huckabees, I finally recalled. Knowing this, the skewed sense of humor and of humanity in Hustle came into focus. The emotional revelations and realignments of world perspective for the starring quartet at the mayor's big party echoed those of the earlier Russell film. Whereas Huckabees revealed a big and interconnected world that connected all things and beings to one another, the world of American Hustle was very personal, an intimate awakening to the strong relationships each character held, which were few and slipping away through their own schemes and lies. "From the feet up", American Hustle goes highly recommended.