Hustlers: Rated And Reviewed In Australia

what is hustlers rated australia

Hustlers is a heist thriller starring Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, and pop star Cardi B. The film is an insightful drama about female camaraderie and empowerment, with a focus on internal struggles and friendship. Set largely after the 2008 financial crisis, the film has been called a recession-era period piece, showcasing the fashion and soundtrack of the late 2000s.

Characteristics Values
Description A heist thriller-cross-social drama
An insightful drama about female camaraderie
An homage to female power
A recession-era period piece
Streaming platforms YouTube, Stan, Google TV, Apple TV Store, Prime Video Store
Cast Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, Cardi B

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Where to watch Hustlers in Australia

The crime drama Hustlers is available to stream in Australia on a number of platforms.

Streaming Services

You can watch Hustlers online via YouTube, Stan, Google TV, Apple TV Store, and Prime Video Store.

Cinema

Flicks.com.au suggests there may be screenings of Hustlers at cinemas in Australia, but there is "no screening information for this title".

Netflix, Disney+

According to one source, you can also watch Hustlers on Netflix and Disney+ in Australia.

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Female empowerment and camaraderie

While Hustlers is not a female empowerment movie, it does explore female empowerment and camaraderie. The film is based on the New York Magazine article "The Hustlers at Scores" by Jessica Pressler, which details the drug and run schemes executed by a group of exotic dancers against their Wall Street clientele during the 2008 economic recession.

Hustlers follows a group of strippers as they drug unsuspecting Wall Street bankers and run up their credit cards. The film stars Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu as dancers at a strip club who drug wealthy men and max out their credit cards. The story also details a down-on-her-luck Destiny, played by Wu, who struggles to make ends meet working as a stripper to support her elderly grandmother. Abandoned by her parents at a young age, Destiny is isolated in her adulthood and ignorant of her own strength as a woman.

The film portrays the necessity of female camaraderie in a patriarchal society. It showcases the bond between women with sensitivity and depth, even as they engage in criminal acts. The film also highlights the deeper issues that surround sex work and female labour. For example, it shows how women can use their womanhood to their benefit, granting them financial freedom, security, and personal sovereignty.

Hustlers also calls for an intersectional approach to female allyship. For example, the film highlights the sweeping differences in opportunity between two women, Destiny and Jennifer, played by Julia Stiles, due to cultural and class differences. Despite their differences, the film portrays a ride-or-die bond between Destiny and Ramona, a seasoned stripper played by Lopez, who acts as a mother figure to Destiny. Their relationship showcases the depth and fragility of girlfriends who feel more like family.

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Jennifer Lopez's performance

In the 2019 American crime comedy-drama film Hustlers, Jennifer Lopez plays Ramona Vega, a veteran stripper and lap dancer. Lopez's performance in the film has been described as "career-best", "career-defining", and "great".

Lopez's performance as Ramona has been praised for her ability to embody the character's bold, charismatic, precise, and calculating nature, even within the parameters of her seeming recklessness. She has been noted to have no vanity in her performance, portraying a character who is out for herself while still channeling her ruthlessness and generosity. Lopez's charm, a quality that has been described as something that "you can’t teach or fake", adds an additional layer to her performance.

Lopez's physical performance in the film has also been a topic of discussion. She undertook months of pole dance training with professional dancer and choreographer Johanna Sapakie to prepare for a solo pole dance routine in the film. The training allowed her to perform the routine without a professional stand-in, showcasing her dedication to the role and the physical demands of the character.

Lopez's performance in Hustlers has been recognised as a highlight of the film, with her entrance described as "one of the most memorable in recent cinema history". Her performance has been praised for its impact and her ability to embody the character, demonstrating her range as an actor.

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The film's exploration of the 2008 financial crisis

The 2019 American crime comedy-drama film Hustlers is largely set in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. It follows a crew of New York City strippers who drug Wall Street stock traders and CEOs who visit their club and run up their credit cards. The film has been described as a "recession-era period piece", depicting the excessive glam of the late 2000s.

Secondly, the film addresses the role of Wall Street and the financial industry in the crisis. The strippers' clientele are the very people responsible for the financial collapse, and the film expresses "justified rage" towards these individuals. The film also comments on the lack of consequences for those in the financial industry, as seen in the character Mark Baum, who continues to operate his fund despite the fallout.

Additionally, Hustlers explores the resilience and resourcefulness of its female characters in the face of financial hardship. The lead characters, Destiny and Ramona, are forced to find alternative means of income, and their friendship and female camaraderie become a source of strength and empowerment. The film validates their internal struggles and celebrates their bold ambition and female force.

Finally, the film provides social commentary on the judgment and perception of strippers and sex workers, particularly in the post-financial crisis era. The director, Lorene Scafaria, has acknowledged the challenge of overcoming the "judgment that people have about strippers" in the film industry. Hustlers approaches the strip club as any other workplace, filled with internal politics and power dynamics, offering a nuanced view of its subjects.

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The fashion and soundtrack

The Fashion

The fashion in Hustlers is an ode to the mid-2000s, with costume designer Mitchell Travers stating that he wanted to reflect the "excess" of the time. The film is a period piece, and Travers wanted to ensure that the costumes were accurate to the time period, including the use of real fur, which he notes would be controversial today. The costumes also include velour sweatsuits, pasties, fishnets, and Juicy velour.

Travers created mood boards for each character, drawing inspiration from Victoria's Secret Angels, Rachel Zoe, Victoria Beckham, and Kimora Lee Simmons for Ramona's looks. He also considered the character's backstory, such as Ramona's attempt to create a denim swimwear line without a background in fashion design, resulting in a bold mix of trends.

One of the most iconic visuals in the film is when Ramona wraps her fur coat around Destiny on a rooftop, signalling the heart of the story about female relationships. Another notable fashion choice is the use of gold boots for a scene where Destiny walks through a preschool, creating a "walk-of-shame" moment.

The Soundtrack

The Hustlers soundtrack is packed with hits from the mid-2000s, including Britney Spears' "Gimme More," Rihanna's "Birthday Cake," Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls," and Lorde's "Royals." The film also features throwbacks to the Billboard Hot 100 top songs of 2007, such as Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable," Rihanna's "Umbrella" featuring Jay-Z, and Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" featuring Akon.

The movie also includes a mix of rap, R&B, and classical music, with songs like Fat Joe featuring Lil' Wayne's "Make It Rain," Too $hort featuring Lil Jon's "Shake That Monkey," and several Chopin pieces performed by L.H. Thomas. Usher's "Love in This Club" is also featured, with the artist making a cameo appearance.

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