| Hustlers | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lorene Scafaria |
| Screenplay by | Lorene Scafaria |
| Based on | "The Hustlers at Scores" byJessica Pressler |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Todd Banhazl |
| Edited by | Kayla Emter |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | STXfilms |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[2][3] |
| Box office | $157 million[4] |
Hustlers is a 2019 Americancrimecomedy-drama film written and directed byLorene Scafaria, based onNew York magazine's 2015 article "The Hustlers at Scores" byJessica Pressler.[5] The film starsConstance Wu,Jennifer Lopez,Julia Stiles,Lili Reinhart andKeke Palmer, along withLizzo andCardi B in their first film appearances. It follows a crew ofNew York Citystrippers who begin to steal money by druggingstock traders andCEOs who visit their club, then running up their credit cards. Lopez also served as a producer on the film throughNuyorican Productions, alongsideJessica Elbaum,Will Ferrell, andAdam McKay through theirGloria Sanchez banner.
First announced in February 2016, the film was originally set to be financed and distributed byAnnapurna Pictures. However, amid financial trouble, Annapurna dropped the rights in October 2018. AfterSTX Entertainment picked them up, much of the cast joined that fall through the following spring, and filming took place in New York City from March to May 2019.
Hustlers had its world premiere on September 7, 2019, at theToronto International Film Festival, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 13, 2019. The film received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Lopez's performance, for which she received nominations at theGolden Globe,Critics Choice andScreen Actors Guild award ceremonies. It grossed $157.6 million worldwide against a production budget of $20.7 million.
In 2014, former New York City-based stripper Dorothy is invited for an interview with Elizabeth, a journalist working on a story involving Dorothy's former friend and mentor, Ramona Vega.
Seven years prior, Dorothy, known by her stripper name as Destiny, is working at Moves, astrip club, to support her grandmother, but is barely getting by. Mesmerized by Ramona's performance and the tips she earns, Destiny meets her on the roof of the club. Ramona agrees to take Destiny under her wing, and the two form a formidable team. Destiny enjoys newfound wealth and friendship with Ramona. A year later, during the2008 financial crisis, both women find themselves short of cash. Destiny becomes pregnant. She kicks her boyfriend out of the house shortly after their daughter's birth, and she is unable to find a new job.
With no other options, Destiny moves back into her grandmother's place with her daughter. Moves has changed: the crisis has impacted their business, and the club is primarily staffed by immigrant women willing to perform sex acts for money, a line Destiny is unwilling to cross, but she does in a moment of desperation. She reconnects with Ramona, who introduces her to a new scheme. Along with her two protégées, Mercedes and Annabelle, Ramona targets rich men at bars, gets them drunk, and then escorts them to Moves where the girls steal their credit card numbers and charge them to their limit. Destiny joins in, and learns that Ramona uses a mix ofketamine andMDMA to impair judgment and cause memory loss in their targets, a tactic deemed worthwhile since their victims will rarely admit to being robbed by strippers.
The scheme works, and the women enjoy their new source of wealth. When some of the targets prove too aggressive for Mercedes and Annabelle to handle, Destiny suggests bringing in other girls, who are carefully trained to avoid drinking or using drugs. Ramona's partnership with Moves makes the credit card fraud lucrative for them. However, cracks start to show in their operation. Other strippers begin to emulate their strategies. Furious, Ramona cuts her business ties with Moves, and the group begins to service clients in hotel rooms or their own homes. Mercedes and Annabelle become increasingly unreliable with this new practice, so Ramona hires women with drug problems and criminal records to replace them, while Destiny balks at bringing in "junkies and criminals". Destiny's fears prove true when a client suffers a near-fatal accident and she must take him to the hospital. Meanwhile, Ramona is busy bailing out a particularly unreliable new hire, Dawn. Destiny returns home to find her grandmother has died. At the funeral, Ramona makes amends and promises to take care of Destiny from now on.
Back in 2014, Destiny becomes uncomfortable and stops the interview when Elizabeth insists on talking about Ramona. When Elizabeth returns home, Destiny calls and agrees to finish their conversation, recalling how her friendship with Ramona – and their crime ring – fell apart. Ramona's callousness drives a wedge between the women, and Destiny feels she can no longer justify her crimes. Dawn is picked up by the police and "flips" on her partners, while investigators manage to locate several victims and identify all of the girls. Destiny, Ramona, Annabelle, and Mercedes are arrested, but only Destiny (thinking of her daughter) takes a plea deal. Ramona is sentenced to five years probation, while the others serve short jail sentences before being released on probation.
A year later, Elizabeth visits Ramona, who is now working aretail job. Ramona reveals a childhood photo of Destiny that she keeps along with her most valued possessions. The article is published, and Elizabeth encourages Destiny to reach out to Ramona and make amends.
In February 2016, it was announced thatJessica Elbaum,Will Ferrell andAdam McKay would produceHustlers, under theirGloria Sanchez Productions banner.[6] The film was also produced by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, andJennifer Lopez throughNuyorican Productions.[7] In May 2016,Annapurna Pictures was announced to co-produce and finance the film, with the studio'sMegan Ellison and Chelsea Barnard serving as executive producers. In October 2018, it was announced Annapurna had dropped the film, withSTX Entertainment acquiring distribution rights to the film.[8] Annapurna allegedly dropped the film due to budget concerns.[9][10]
Hustlers was directed byLorene Scafaria from a screenplay she wrote.[11] Upon first receiving Scafaria's script, Gloria Sanchez Productions first hadMartin Scorsese in mind to direct, while also consideringAdam McKay. ProducerJessica Elbaum stated that their initial approach was to "send this to the people that we've seen make this type of movie."[12] After Scorsese and other directors passed on the project, producers ultimately gave Scafaria, who had refused to take on other directorial projects in hopes of directingHustlers, thegreen-light to direct. Scafaria convinced the producers to hire her as director with a two-minutesizzle reel she created to demonstrate her concept.[13][12] Scafaria described the "judgment that people have about strippers" as a challenge in getting the film made.[12] According to producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, who was pitchingHustlers to a range of studios after Annapurna dropped it, "[the male studio executives] were a little uncomfortable. Everybody could see the commercial value of this movie, but they were like, 'Can they just drug the bad guys? Can they just do it to the people that deserve it?'"[12]
After being chosen to direct, Scafaria spent two years casting forHustlers.[12] In August 2018, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez would star in the film.[11] Lopez was Scafaria's first choice to play Ramona, stating: "as soon as I was done, I realized, Oh my God, Ramona is Jennifer Lopez [...] It has to be her."[12] Lopez, who plays a veteran stripper in the film, beganpole dance training with professional dancer and choreographer Johanna Sapakie two and a half months before filming in preparation for a scene that has Lopez performing a major solo pole dance routine without a professional stand-in.[14][15]Constance Wu joined the cast in October,[8] after putting herself on tape, noting: "I knew that my résumé at that point didn't really have anything that would indicate that I could pull off this role."[12] In March 2019,Cardi B,Lili Reinhart,Keke Palmer,Julia Stiles, andMercedes Ruehl joined the cast with Mette Towley andTrace Lysette in negotiations to join as well.[16] That same month,Madeline Brewer andFrank Whaley joined the cast of the film.[17] Lizzo joined the cast of the film in April 2019,[18] and Usher joined the cast in May.[19] Scafaria had the idea to cast Cardi B, a former stripper, in the film, prompting Lopez to convince her to join the project. Lopez said: "I know she knew this world better than any of us. I told her she had to do it. And I wasn't going to take no for an answer."[12]
Principal photography forHustlers began on March 22, 2019, in New York City, with the shoot lasting 29 days. Production wrapped on May 3.[16] Scenes were also shot north of the city inNew Rochelle,White Plains and at thePalisades Center.[20] According to producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, the production budget for the film was $20.7 million.[2] Cameos by Usher, Lizzo, and Cardi B, were all filmed the same day.[21]
Hustlers costume designer, Mitchell Travers, defined the origins of the film's costumes and treatment in an interview withVanity Fair, stating that "I knew it [had] to absolutely floor the audience, and let them know that this is not going to be like any movie that they've seen before." Travers designed the costumes for Lopez to showcase the strength and muscle tone she amassed during her pre-Hustlers training. Without running afoul of the film's planned R rating, he dreamed up the diamond bodysuit that was essentially connected by three straps. Travers commented: "We did a lot of research and development to find something that could [stretch in every direction during Lopez's dance]. It's performance wear, and really had to work for that sequence. We did a number of fittings on it. It is tailored within an inch of its life, completely custom for her."[22][23]
The soundtrack toHustlers features a list of songs ranging from late 1990sR&B,dance music,indie pop, to classical interludes,[24] includingJanet Jackson,Fiona Apple,Britney Spears,Lorde,Scott Walker andFrédéric Chopin. As Scafaria explained: "I thought of [the film] as a musical — the songs themselves were telling a story. Most of the music choices were also written into the script, I had obviously imagined scenes to these songs, and we shot to these songs, but you never know if you're going to get the rights."[25][26] The film's music supervisor, Jason Markey, got artists fromBig Sean toBob Seger to sign-off permission to include their songs in theHustlers soundtrack; however, the film deliberately does not feature any songs from the catalogs ofJennifer Lopez,Lizzo, orCardi B. Markey noted that, "We didn't have a score, either; every song made a statement about the scene."[27]
The teaser trailer forHustlers premiered online on July 17, 2019.[28] Thefull theatrical trailer premiered online on September 3, 2019.[29]
Hustlers held its world premiere at theToronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019.[30] It was theatrically released in the United States on September 13, 2019, which was on Reinhart's birthday.[31] The studio spent around $38 million on promotions and advertisement.[32]
The film was banned outright from release in Malaysia, and has received censorship in several Asian countries. The film was denied a clearance certificate by theMalaysian Film Censorship Board, for showing what officials called "excessive obscene content".[33]
Hustlers grossed $105 million in the United States and Canada, and $52.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $157.6 million.[4]Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $47 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.[32]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongsideThe Goldfinch, and was projected to gross $25–30 million from 3,250 theaters in its opening weekend.[34] The film made $13.1 million on its first day, including $2.5 million in Thursday night previews.[35][36] It was the biggest single day gross in STX Entertainment's history.[37] The film went on to debut to $33.2 million, finishing second, behind holdoverIt Chapter Two; the opening marked the most successful in STX's history and the best of Lopez's live-action career.[38] The audience breakdown of the opening weekend was 67% female, including 69% being over the age of 25.[39] It dropped 49% in its second weekend to $16.8 million, finishing in fifth, and made $11.5 million in its third weekend, jumping to third.[40][41]
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OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 358 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Led by a career-best performance from Jennifer Lopez,Hustlers is a uniquely empowering heist drama with depth and intelligence to match its striking visual appeal."[45] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[46] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale, and those atPostTrak gave it an average 3.5 out of 5 stars and a 50% "definite recommend".[39] The film was also chosen byTime magazine,[47]HuffPost,[48] andNPR as one of the best films of 2019.[49]
Christy Lemire rated the film 3 stars, describingHustlers as "Goodfellas in a G-string... Scafaria's film is always a blast to watch, resulting in a surprising level of emotional depth." Lemire also described it as "Lopez's best screen work since her early heyday ofSelena andOut of Sight..." and a "...career-best performance."[42] Kate Erbland ofIndieWire ratedHustlers an A− and describes the film as "funny, empowering, sexy, emotional, and a bit scary. The Oscar chatter for Lopez's revelatory, nuanced, and emotional turn as a brilliant con artist and better exotic dancer is no joke."[50]Variety's Peter DeBruge writes, "flashy, fleshy and all-around impossible to ignore,Hustlers amounts to nothing less than a cultural moment, inspired by an outrageous New York Magazine profile... adapted by writer-director Scafaria at her most Scorsese, and starring Jennifer Lopez like you've never seen her before."[51]
Justin Chang, writing for theLos Angeles Times, describes the film as "brassy and invigorating" stating that "Scafaria's clear-eyed grasp of that distinction that makesHustlers more than just a girls-gone-wild cautionary tale, a peekaboo parade or a hypocritical amalgam of the two. The movie's empathy for its leads and its wholly justified rage against the architects of financial collapse is held in check by the knowledge that every hustle has its collateral damage."[43]The Guardian's Benjamin Lee, rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "even when films have focused on strippers as something other than window dressing, they've still been written and directed by men and have smoothed over rougher edges, turning them all into titillating one-note archetypes. Instead, Scafaria views the strip club like any other workplace, filled with internal politics and an ever-changing hierarchy of power."[52] Beandrea July ofThe Hollywood Reporter stated that "Hustlers delivers on its hype while consistently doing the unexpected. Scafaria, whose last pic was theSusan Sarandon vehicleThe Meddler (2015), excels at immersing the audience in the world of sex-work in clubs, quietly disabusing us scene by scene of any stereotypes about who these women are."[53]
Emily VanDerWerff ofVox writes "as you're distracted by all that razzle-dazzle and the movie's many, many great jokes,Hustlers is quietly composing some deeply profound thoughts about the relationships women build with each other."[54] Brennan Carley ofGQ calledHustlers the best movie of 2019 to date, noting: "starting with a bang is one thing, though; maintaining that energy throughout its entire run-time is what makes this strippers-turned-criminals flick such a masterful feat."[55]Rolling Stone's film criticPeter Travers was also positive, stating that, "Hustlers doesn't pussyfoot about what goes on in those 'champagne rooms' off stage. The intent is not to exploit but to show how women manage to live and work in a predatory man's world", adding that "in Scafaria's fiercely funny provocation of a film—there's no running from the shadows—it's the women who seize control."[44]
IndieWire's annualTIFF Critics Survey of the 2019 best films and performances at the festival ranked Lopez's performance the best female performance as well as the fourth best performance among movies premiered at TIFF.[56] OnTime's annual best performances of the year list,Stephanie Zacharek ranked Lopez as the second-best film performance of 2019.[57] Also,A. O. Scott fromThe New York Times ranked Lopez as one of the 10 Best Actors of 2019.[58] IndieWire included both Lopez and Wu on its annual ranking of the 20 best film performances by actresses.[59]
| Organization / Ceremony | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto International Film Festival | September 7, 2019 | Creative Coalition's Spotlight Initiative Award | Keke Palmer | Won | [60] |
| Rome Film Festival | October 27, 2019 | BNL People's Choice Award | Hustlers | Nominated | [61] |
| Gotham Awards | December 2, 2019 | Best Feature | Hustlers | Nominated | [62] |
| National Film & TV Awards | December 3, 2019 | Best Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | [63] |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 7, 2019 | Top 10 Films | Hustlers | Won | [64] |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2019 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | [65] |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 9, 2019 | Best Movie About Women | Hustlers | Nominated | [66] |
| Best Movie by a Woman | Hustlers | Nominated | |||
| Best Screen Couple | Jennifer Lopez & Constance Wu | Runner-up | |||
| Adrienne Shelly Award | Hustlers | Runner-up | |||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 14, 2019 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | [67] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | |||
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | December 16, 2019 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | [68] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | |||
| Seattle Film Critics Society | December 16, 2019 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | [69] |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | December 16, 2019 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [70] |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 16, 2019 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Runner-up | [71] |
| IndieWire Critics' Poll | December 16, 2019 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Runner-up | [72] |
| Best Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | 19th place | |||
| Dublin Film Critics' Circle | December 17, 2019 | Best Film | Hustlers(tie withHigh Life) | 8th place | [73] |
| Best Actress | Jennifer Lopez | 9th place | |||
| Best Director | Lorene Scafaria | 9th place | |||
| Best Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | 10th place | |||
| Satellite Awards | December 19, 2019 | Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical | Hustlers | Nominated | [74] |
| Best Actress in Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical | Constance Wu | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Jennifer Lopez | Won | |||
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 23, 2019 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [75] |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala | January 2, 2020 | Spotlight Award | Jennifer Lopez | Won | [76] |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 4, 2020 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Runner-up | [77] |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 5, 2020 | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [78] |
| Online Film Critics Society | January 6, 2020 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | [79] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | |||
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 6, 2020 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | [80] |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | |||
| The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics | January 8, 2020 | Film of the Year | Hustlers | Nominated | [81] |
| Supporting Film Performance of the Year — Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | |||
| Hollywood Critics Association | January 9, 2020 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | |
| Best Female Director | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | [82] | ||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 10, 2020 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | |||
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 10, 2020 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | [83] |
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | |||
| Best Woman Screenwriter | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | |||
| Most Daring Performance | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | |||
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild | January 11, 2020 | Feature-Length Motion Picture - Best Contemporary Make-Up | Margot Boccia, Roxanne Rizzo | Nominated | [84] |
| Feature-Length Motion Picture - Best Contemporary Hair Styling | Angel De Angelis, Dierdre Harris | Nominated | |||
| AARP The Magazine's Annual Movies for Grownups Awards | January 11, 2020 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [85] |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association | January 12, 2020 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [86] |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | January 19, 2020 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [87] |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | January 2020 | Best Supporting Actress | Jennifer Lopez | Won | |
| Costume Designers Guild | January 28, 2020 | Excellence in Contemporary Film | Mitchell Travers | Nominated | [89] |
| London Film Critics' Circle | January 30, 2020 | Supporting Actress of the Year | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [90] |
| Casting Society of America | January 30, 2020 | Excellence in Casting - Comedy | Gayle Keller | Nominated | [91] |
| Black Reel Awards | February 6, 2020 | Outstanding Costume Design | Mitchell Travers | Nominated | [92] |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 8, 2020 | Best Director | Lorene Scafaria | Nominated | [93] |
| Best Supporting Female | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Todd Banhazl | Nominated | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | February 22, 2020 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [94] |
| Golden Raspberry Awards | March 16, 2020 | Razzie Redeemer Award | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | [95] |
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