What movies have you loved and hated over the last twelve months? We have reached the time of year when we count down the movies that we have not been huge fans of in 2014.
American Hustle
Sadly, there have been quite a few movies that have not hit the mark with us in 2014, and in at number ten is American Hustle. I am a huge fan of director David O.Russell's previous work and this was one of the January movies that I was looking forward to the most.
However, American Hustle is one of the most disappointing movies for me this year, and a truly outstanding cast did little to save this film.
American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting.
When you see a cast list that includes Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner, there is plenty to be excited about, but it really is a movie that falls a little flat.
O.Russell does capture the era well and that cast look terrific in their wonderful seventies costumes. However, the characters are just not as compelling that you would expect them to be. The terrific cast all give great performances and they do have some interesting moments, but that interest is not built on or held by the script.
On top of all that, the script does feel a little out of control as there is con after con after con, and it ends up a little convoluted and muddled. The situations are also ludicrous and over the top, that you can never really believe what is going on.
Don't get me wrong, there are some entertaining moments, but it really does lack the comedic focus that would have made it a terrific watch. There are some moments that will make you laugh - Jennifer Lawrence is on top form as Rosalyn - but her comedic moments are not enough to save it.
American Hustle is a movie that is not as sharp or funny as it thinks it is, and, in parts, I really did find it quite dull, as the bursts of energy were not sustained.
American Hustle is by no means the worst movie that I have seen this year, but it really is one of the most disappointing as I found it to be both hollow and a little cold.
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