The Hustle (film)
The Hustle | |
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Directed by | Chris Addison |
Screenplay by | |
Story by |
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Produced by | |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Michael Coulter |
Edited by | Anthony Boys |
Music by | Anne Dudley |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $27.2 million[1] |
The Hustle is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Chris Addison and written by Jac Schaeffer. It is a female-centered remake of the 1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which is itself a remake of the 1964 film Bedtime Story.[2] The film stars Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Alex Sharp, and Dean Norris, and follows two women who set out to con an internet millionaire.
The film was theatrically released in the United States on May 10, 2019, by United Artists Releasing, while Universal Pictures distributed the film in international markets. It received negative reviews from critics, who called it "empty", "cheap" and a "blast of pure unfunniness".[3]
Premise
Two female con artists prey on wealthy men in the French Riviera. The cunning and cultured Josephine (Hathaway) plots to swindle her targets from her ill-gotten luxury villa in the village of Beaumont-sur-Mer. The brash and free-wheeling Penny (Wilson) pursues the same scheme although it involves less refined circumstances and methods.[4] Upon discovery of Penny's presence, Josephine wants to eject the interloper from her territory. The former, however, is stubborn and obnoxious so that, while they initially try to outfox each other, they decide to join forces to scam men who have wronged women. Josephine teaches Penny her craft believing she can polish her rough edges.[4]
Cast
- Anne Hathaway as Mitchell
- Rebel Wilson as Nick Kortleven
- Alex Sharp as Lars Boom
- Ingrid Oliver as Martin van Prooijen
- Emma Davies as Rafael Treling
- Dean Norris as Mitch Stötefalk
- Timothy Simons as Kim Pluijgens
Production
In August 2016, it was announced that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was developing a female-centered remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), which in turn was a remake of Bedtime Story (1964), about two con women with Rebel Wilson as one of its stars.[5] The project will be a joint production with Roger Birnbaum and Wilson producing through their studios Pin High Productions and Camp Sugar Productions, respectively. Jac Schaeffer serves as screenwriter.[5][6]
In January 2017, the working title of the film was revealed to be Nasty Women, with Anne Hathaway as lead. The title is a reference to the "nasty woman" comment which Donald Trump directed at Hillary Clinton, during their campaign debates.[6] By March, Chris Addison was hired as director in his feature film directorial debut.[7] In August of the same year, Alex Sharp was cast to play the male lead in the film, a tech billionaire in his early 20s who becomes the wager center between the two experienced con-women.[8]
Principal photography began during mid-September 2017 at both Pinewood Studios and Shepperton Studios in the UK,[9][10] with filming also taking place at the Farnborough Airport.[11]
Release
The film was released on May 10, 2019 by United Artists Releasing[12]; It had previously been scheduled for an August 10, 2018, and June 29, 2019, release.[13][14] Meghan Trainor recorded the song "Badass Woman" for the movie.[15]
A special trailer for The Hustle was released to coincide with the premiere of Avengers: Endgame, which begins by spoofing Endgame trailers, and refers to the Lonnie and Josephine as "The Revengers" -- a reference to another film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Ragnarok. [16]
Reception
Box office
As of May 12, 2019[update], The Hustle has grossed $13.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $13.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $27.2 million.[1]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Tolkien and Poms, was projected to gross $11–15 million from 2,750 theaters in its opening weekend.[17] The film made $4 million on its first day, including $774,000 from Thursday night previews.[18] It went on to debut to $13.5 million, finishing third behind Avengers: Endgame and Detective Pikachu.[19]
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 16% based on 102 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Hustle's stars might make an effective comedy team in a different setting, but this gender-flipped remake of a remake adds little beyond its feminine twist."[20] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[19]
References
- ^ a b "The Hustle (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen; Gleiberman, Owen (2019-05-09). "Film Review: 'The Hustle'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ Edwards, Chris (May 9, 2019). "Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson's The Hustle savaged as "empty" and "cheap" in first reviews". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ a b Scott, A. O. (2019-05-09). "'The Hustle' Review: Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson Hit Their Marks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ a b Kroll, Justin (August 4, 2016). "Rebel Wilson to Star in 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' Remake (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ a b Jr, Mike Fleming (January 19, 2017). "Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson Are The 'Nasty Women' In MGM's 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' Remake". Deadline. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (March 28, 2017). "Anne Hathaway's 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' Remake Finds Director". Variety. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (August 24, 2017). "Alex Sharp Joins Rebel Wilson in 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' Remake". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ James, Sarah (September 17, 2017). "Rebel Wilson shares a peek at new Anne Hathaway movie". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ^ Drysdale, Jennifer (November 1, 2017). "Rebel Wilson Shares Behind-the-Scenes Pics With Anne Hathaway From 'Nasty Women' Set". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ^ Perryman, Francesca (September 14, 2017). "These movie stars are filming Nasty Women at Farnborough Airport". getsurrey. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (February 5, 2019). "MGM, Annapurna Team for Distribution Label United Artists Releasing". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 14, 2017). "MGM Dates Anne Hathaway & Rebel Wilson Scam Artist Comedy For Summer 2018". Deadline. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ^ "MGM Pulls 'Valley Girl' Remake With Embattled YouTuber Logan Paul From Release Schedule". TheWrap. March 1, 2018.
- ^ Wass, Mike (May 7, 2019). "Meghan Trainor Announces New Song 'Badass Woman'". Idolator. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Reyes, Mike (22 April 2019). "New The Hustle Trailer Spoofs Avengers: Endgame". CinemaBlend. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ Jeremy Fuster (May 7, 2019). "Will 'Detective Pikachu' Be Super Effective Against Disney's Box-Office Domination?". TheWrap. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Mendelson, Scott (May 11, 2019). "Friday Box Office: 'The Hustle' Earns $4 Million As 'Poms' And Tolkien' Bomb". Forbes. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 12, 2019). "'Pokemon Detective Pikachu' Grabs $58M In 'Endgame' Dominated Universe; Marvel Pic 3rd Highest Domestic With $724M+ – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ "The Hustle (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "The Hustle reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
External links
- The Hustle at IMDb