Review: The Hustle

Release date: May 10, 2019
Running time: 93 minutes
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Alex Sharp 

The Hustle is a gender-bent, modern remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.  In it, Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson play competing con artists attempting to extract money from their latest mark, Alex Sharp.  Although the film definitely feels like a remake (especially the first scenes), the Hustle does a nice job of adapting the movie to take into account the new female leads, as well as the changing societal and technological advances that have occurred since the late eighties.

The film is a comedic caper, and thankfully the comedy holds up with the remake.  Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson have good chemistry throughout the film, and there are several laugh out loud moments, as well as some genuinely funny jokes.  The pair don't stray far from their typical roles but the two naturally play off each other throughout the film.  The pair are joined by a small, but solid set of supporting members of the con, as well as the genuinely funny mark.  This is a movie that gets by on the relationship between Hathaway and Wilson, and the way their characters play off each other is a joy to watch.

That being said, Hathaway's accent throughout the film feels ridiculous and is distracting.  She is a fantastic actress so the forced accent--which I am assuming was by design--really jars whenever you hear it.  And although the film does a generally good job of portraying the protagonists as strong female leads, the ending seems to stray from this message and just leaves a sour note to an otherwise entertaining film.

The Hustle is a genuinely funny remake / update of a classic film, with a promising start but an ending that will leave you feeling slightly conned.

Rent it