How is it possible to know three minutes into a movie that it’s going to be a cult classic? I watched Hustlers at a Dublin theatre Saturday night and knew immediately that this movie would be added to my film collection.
Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu are the stars of this crime caper.
Lopez stars as Ramona, a sexy, quick-witted bombshell stripper who reminds me of a female “Godfather.” She commands respect onstage and off. Our little “Jenny From The Block” is now 50 and she totally looks just as good, if not better than her much younger costars.
Wu, who stars as Destiny, is in absolute awe of Ramona, who does half of the work she does but makes way more. Ramona literally has men throwing money at her.
A Performance To Remember
Destiny, who is new to the club, is tired of going home at the end of the night with chump change after paying off security guards and everyone else. She becomes mesmorized during one of Ramona’s performances and sets out to learn her tricks of the trade.
Ramona quickly takes her under her fur (watch it and you’ll understand) and the two become fast friends, actually more like sisters.
At first, the money is great. The economy is strong and their Wall Street clients with deep pockets are willing to do anything to keep their stripper friends happy. The women have their “Pretty Woman” moment where they are out on the town shopping for the finest things money can buy.
It All Falls Down
But, when the economy comes crashing down in 2008, the money in the stripclub dries up. The women are forced to take -gulp – regular jobs.
It’s now years later and Destiny is the mother of a beautiful little girl. She also tries to get a job in retail, but tells the store manager she only has experience “bartending” in the stripclub. Ramona, meantime, is busy folding clothes at a store that looks similar to an Old Navy.
Anyone who has been living high on the hog for so long knows it’s a blow to the ego to have to do regular things with minimum wage money.
So, Ramona hatches a scheme to return to the stripclub with a new way of making money. I won’t spoil it for those of you who haven’t watched yet. But, the scheme is goooood. It’s literally when sh*t gets real.
Keke Palmer, rappers Cardi B and Lizzo round out the cast. They were all amazing during their scenes.
Cardi is definitely a standout because she’s Cardi. As a former stripper and a definite showman, she was in her element.
Keke had me laughing so hard during a scary scene that I am still thinking about it.
Everyone played their role perfectly. I was happy to see the range of skin colours in this film. I adored all of the girls.
I am especially proud of Lopez, who really shows that she is a friend to the end. And I mean to the very end.
What I especially loved about this movie, is that I saw them as human beings. Not just strippers. There were some tender moments that really reminded you of their humanity.
If you haven’t watched Hustlers yet, please do. You will laugh your ass off and you may even shed a few tears.
