Summary
This remake is rarely dirty, a little bit rotten, and built around a couple of scoundrels.
To hustle someone usually involves pretending to be something or someone that you are not in order to gain advantage. THE HUSTLE has set itself up as a remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), itself a reworking of the 1964 film Bedtime Story. Yet some old tricks get tired in the retelling, and like the best cons, a hustle is only as strong as its weakest player.
Con artist Josephine Chesterfield (Anne Hathaway) has been living a life of luxury in Beaumont-sur-Mer on the proceeds of her ill-gotten gains. When wannabe hustler Penny Rust (Rebel Wilson) comes stumbling into her town, Josephine sees an opportunity to coach a protégé. However, they soon become bitter rivals, challenging each other to take down a mark in order to win territorial rights.
A straight update of Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning, and Dale Launer’s 1988 script, Jac Schaeffer (Captain Marvel) never strays too far from the source material. Indeed, there’s several moments where the dialogue is virtually verbatim. Director Chris Addison, best known for the sophisticated comedy of The Thick of It and Veep, relies instead on the two lead personalities.
This also means that Wilson’s broad comedic stylings dominate much of film. As the embodiment of an obnoxious Australian tourist, she totally nails the role. The rest of the time is spend playing up her physicality as a comic, literally barrelling through scenery in the absence of witty dialogue. In one chaotically bad sequence, Wilson fakes being blind for what feels like the entire second act. That said, if you do like her particular brand of comedy, and there’s definitely a solid fanbase out there, you’ll probably love THE HUSTLE.
Hathaway, now adept at playing high class thieves, manages to rise above the meet food the script feeds her. The rest of the supporting cast – who include Doctor Who‘s Ingrid Oliver and relative newcomer Alex Sharp – is uninspiring, disappearing into the background behind montages of physical awkwardness.
People familiar with any of the previous versions of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, or even the stage musical of the same name, will find few surprises in THE HUSTLE‘s final act. Director Addison’s sharp comedy resume evaporates in a pratfall, as any emotion the script find is immediately undercut by slapstick. Which is why it is difficult to be too hard on the film: it’s a less accomplished copy, but if you enjoyed the original then this is much of the same.
2019 | US | DIRECTOR: Chris Addison | WRITERS: Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning, Dale Launer, Jac Schaeffer | CAST: Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Alex Sharp, Dean Norris | DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures | RUNNING TIME: 94 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 9 May 2018 (AUS)
