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(06/06/19 6:07pm)
Going into The Hustle, my main fear was that all the best parts would be shown in the trailer and I would leave feeling slightly disappointed. This seems to be an issue that’s becoming more and more frequent in comedy movies these days. The film stars Anne Hathaway, an actress I have adored since The Princess Diaries, and Rebel Wilson, known for her role as Fat Amy in the ever-popular Pitch Perfect series. Despite my doubts, I was curious to see how these very different actresses would work together and I made my way to the theater. I found myself pleasantly surprised, for the movie had some unexpected twists and turns, and thankfully, not all the comedic bits had been previewed in the trailer.
(05/27/19 4:00pm)
by Savanna Keller
Going into The Hustle, my main fear was that all the best parts would be shown in the trailer and I would leave feeling slightly disappointed. This seems to be an issue that’s becoming more and more frequent in comedy movies these days. The film stars Anne Hathaway, an actress I have adored since The Princess Diaries, and Rebel Wilson, known for her role as Fat Amy in the ever-popular Pitch Perfect series. Despite my doubts, I was curious to see how these very different actresses would work together and I made my way to the theater. I found myself pleasantly surprised, for the movie had some unexpected twists and turns, and thankfully, not all the comedic bits had been previewed in the trailer.
The Hustle, directed by Chris Addison and written by Jac Schaeffer, is a gender-swapped remake of the 1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which is a remake of the 1964 film Bedtime Story. Even though the movie is a remake, I do not feel like that takes away from the originality and value of the movie in any way. It might be because I have not seen the two remake movies, but in my opinion, the movie does not feel like a remake. On the contrary, it seems fresh and the chemistry between the two co-stars is fabulous, they work well together.
The Swindlers
Anne Hathaway nails her role as Josephine Chesterfield, a wealthy con artist who plays dumb in order to take money from unsuspecting rich men. Rebel Wilson plays Penny Rust, a scammer who nearly gets caught swindling men out of their coin and decides to bounce to a new town. She hops on a train and runs into Josephine, who tells her she admires the way she conned a man on a train. After they meet, Penny decides to continue her conning on Josephine’s turf. This is the start of the duo's comedic gold.
I loved Anne Hathaway’s character, Josephine; she was cunning, changed to match the man she was trying to con, and easily manipulated situations to her advantage. Josephine had an edge of mystery to her, a fancy house, and an amazing fashion sense that made her seem glamorous and attractive. She was the mysterious cool girl that you wanted to be friends with. Anne Hathaway was able to pull this character off seamlessly. She was constantly changing her hair and outfits to match these personas that was created for the swindles. Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway seem like friends that enjoy messing with each other, and that translates to their characters. They are the perfect on-screen frenemy duo that mesmerizes you and leaves you wondering how far they will go and what they will do next. Rebel Wilson carries a good majority of the comedic moments with her character, Penny. Sometimes Penny is the butt of the jokes, while other times she serves to antagonize Josephine in a hilarious way. Penny seems to be the typical character Rebel Wilson plays; it is obvious that she has fallen into a certain typecast, but at least she seems to play that kind of character well.
The Competition
The true antics of the movie kick in as the two protagonists clamber over each other to pursue a supposed tech billionaire, Thomas Westerberg (played by Alex Sharp). They try to out-scam each other and see who can take money from Thomas first. Next, they decide to up the ante and see who can win over the heart of Thomas, consequently making fools out of each other and themselves.
Thomas is the character who gives the movie a little more flavor. At first, he seems to be a simple character with one purpose: be the dumb, unsuspecting young guy who gives these hot scammer girls money. However, as the movie continues, we learn that he is more than that. He is the wildcard that changes the outcome of the competition and then changes the game again. The girls initially think the competition is with each other, but it is through this complication that they learn sometimes scamming is better done as a team. Alex Sharp’s character is not too complicated to portray. Sharp easily pulls off Thomas and makes the audience see exactly what they are supposed to see. Just like the girls, it is easy to genuinely believe Alex is an innocent, tech-loving young guy who just wants to share his innovative ideas with the world. We eventually learn that Alex is not what he seems and that he is just as conniving as the girls. I am impressed that I did not see the change in Thomas’s character coming, so kudos to Sharp for being able to do that and to the writers for making sure that it wasn’t super predictable.
Fans of Rebel Wilson in Pitch Perfect will likely enjoy this movie; her character is like that of Fat Amy, but with a cleverer, manipulative twist. Anne Hathaway’s accent in this movie is terribly butchered and might bother your ears a little, but it doesn’t take away from the movie. Other than her strange accent, she plays the character well. I love the outfits worn by the characters in the movie, not only are they fashionable, they even are joked about and add to the humor of the film. The scenes of Josephine training Penny to become more of a big-time scammer and of Anne Hathaway pulling out a few tricks to get what she wants gives it the clever, spy-like vibe. These girls are on a mission for their own personal gain and men are their chosen targets. Overall, there is not much depth to the movie, but it’s a good watch if you’re looking for something light and entertaining.
Featured Image: IMDb
Images: IMDb
(01/03/19 10:00am)
by Savanna Keller
(10/27/18 7:59pm)
(10/12/18 1:00pm)
by Savanna Keller
Typically, people watch comedy movies to sit down, relax, and step away from the stress that life can bring. Comedies are a great source of light-hearted entertainment that promise a good laugh, and Night School (released September 28) seems like a movie that will do just that. This movie is produced by Will Packer, the same man responsible for producing the movies Ride Along and Girls Trip, and Kevin Hart, the star of the movie.
Teddy Walker, a man who struggles with learning disabilities, drops out of high school and makes a point of proving he can have an amazing life without an education. In the beginning he has it all, an awesome car, a successful salesman job selling outdoor patio furniture with the promise of one day owning the business, and let’s not forget the ever-popular movie trope: the hot dream girl that every man wants, Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke). After a proposal gone wrong, Teddy blows up his place of employment and his world is turned upside down. To get a new job, he must attend night school.
Meeting the team… or class
Co-Stars Kevin Hart (Teddy Walker) and Tiffany Haddish (Carrie, the night school teacher) make a perfect comedic duo. Together they amp up the snark and witty comments and pair it with their love of inappropriate jokes. That, however, is just the beginning of it. The obnoxious and easily despised antagonist of the movie happens to be the high school principal, Stewart (Taran Killam), who is also a former classmate of Teddy’s. Back in the juvenile days, Teddy bullied Stewart and now Stewart is ready to get his revenge. Stewart is known for his phrase “this is my house” when talking about the school and carrying a baseball bat around in the halls to bang on the lockers of the kids as he tells them to get to class.
Teddy’s misfit night school classmates each provide their own brand of humor to the plot. Between Mackenzie (Rob Riggle) who’s loud and always misunderstanding the situation, the guy who has a beef with computers, the waiter Teddy got fired, the guy who Skypes from prison, and Theresa (Mary Lynn Rajskub) who may have an abusive relationship and is sexually frustrated, there is always something going on. The cast creates a comedic team that plays off each other’s situations, whether its making fun of each other or getting each other into weird situations.
However, with a cast like the one in Night School I felt like they could’ve done more with the movie than they did. Carrie sasses Teddy, puts down his attempts to bribe his way through class, and beats him up several times. While these situations can be funny, they grow old after a while. Theresa’s life is depressing, and the movie tries to lighten the situation and make it funny by having her say “but I’m blessed” after every sad thing she says, but I couldn’t help but feel a little awkward after some of the things she says.
There are other parts of the movie that I felt weren’t very realistic or that they had gone to far. Some of the humor touches on sensitive subjects like abuse and race. Teddy’s father tells him he is worthless, and the movie tries to make it funny in the speech that he gives by saying the father was mean to make Teddy better. Theresa has a broken home and the type of relationship she has is not a funny situation. Stewart harasses the kids with a baseball bat and uses what the other characters refer to as “a black voice.” He also makes a comment during one of Carrie and Teddy’s fights that it must be a black people thing. These parts of the movie made the experience uncomfortable.
In all seriousness
While Night School’s main purpose is to provide humor to its audience, it does touch up on some heavy topics. Teddy is said to have learning disabilities, like dyslexia, dyscalculia, and a processing disorder. He paints a picture of what it’s like being an adult with those problems and tells a story of trying to overcome those disabilities. Teddy also has an emotionally abusive dad who puts him down and is always disappointed with him. He also has a sister who makes him feel inadequate because she is successful. Teddy lies to his fiancé about going to night school and, of course, she finds out. This forces him to come clean and learn that he doesn’t have to lie to be cool and have the girl. He faces his disorders and owns the truth to overcome his past.
The other characters touch on other issues as well. Mila (Anne Winters), one of Teddy’s night school classmates, got kicked out of school for drugs and it is through night school that she tries to put that life behind her. Theresa’s husband bosses her around and tells her what to do. He neglects her wants and needs and she gives off the vibe that she may be afraid of him. She lets him roll over her and tell her what to do until her night school friends tell her to do what she wants, and she finally gets the courage to stand up to him. These little stories almost make the movie heartwarming.
Images: IMDb
Featured image: YouTube
