American Hustle (2013)
This podcast episode meticulously examines the film "American Hustle," a cinematic endeavor that seamlessly intertwines themes of deception, ambition, and chaos. The discussion is ignited by the film's exceptional ensemble cast, featuring notable performances by Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Bradley Cooper, which contribute to its multifaceted narrative. We delve into the intricate dynamics between the characters, particularly highlighting the pivotal role of Amy Adams as the grounding force amidst the tumultuous events that unfold. Furthermore, we explore the unique blend of humor and gravitas that characterizes David O. Russell's directorial style, prompting reflections on the film's tonal oscillations and their impact on viewer engagement. Join us as we dissect the artistry behind "American Hustle," evaluating its merits and idiosyncrasies, while also contemplating its place within the broader context of contemporary cinema.
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Transcript
And you could just see his face drop and his like body language go.
Speaker B:It's just like where's my heart pills?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Welcome to the what's up Every podcast where we fashion ourselves cinematic judge and Jerry.
Speaker A:My name is JJ Crowder, here with my co host Alec Burgess.
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Speaker A:And we have watched some stupid doozies because of that.
Speaker B:But yeah, JJ only fans page coming.
Speaker B:So a little bit more money for that as well.
Speaker A:But yeah, my only fit it'd just be me brushing my beard.
Speaker A:That'll be my only fans.
Speaker A:And on that weird ass note, let's jump into an equally weird ass movie to get into week two of our August Amy Adams fest.
Speaker A:We've moved past the singing and dancing and moved into some interesting here.
Speaker A:But as you can see by the picture we're if you're watching, if you're listening now, you get to know it's American Hustle.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A:It was written by Eric Warren singer and David O. Russell.
Speaker A:It was directed by David O. Russell, stars Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis ck, Jack Houston, Michael Pena, Alessandro Navola and Paul Herman.
Speaker A:It's about a con man.
Speaker A:Irving Rosenfeld along with his seductive partner Sidney Prosser is forced who's worked who are forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie Damaso, who pushes him in the world of Jersey power brokers and the mafia.
Speaker A:That was a pretty in depth synopsis there and pretty spot on if I have to say.
Speaker A:As far as synopsis go from IMDb but.
Speaker A:All right, Alec, this is another your picks, my friend.
Speaker A:And I am wildly curious to hear why you picked it and what you.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What you think of this movie.
Speaker B:Oh, I love this movie.
Speaker B:I picked it because I don't watch it enough.
Speaker B:It's one that I always seem to forget exists.
Speaker B:And then whenever I watch it, I'm just tickled the entire time, giggling, laughing.
Speaker B:Bradley Cooper kills it.
Speaker B:And he's just the tip of the iceberg.
Speaker B:Amy Adams.
Speaker B:Fantastic.
Speaker B:Then you add in Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, just everybody else in Hollywood who shows up and does an amazing job.
Speaker B:And then I also like this.
Speaker B:This is what I feel like Martin Scorsese would do if he ever did comedies, is we would have far more of the American Hustle vibe because it's.
Speaker B:It's got a foot in that, you know, mob gangster, Godfather, Goodfellas kind of feel to it.
Speaker B:And then the other foot is just in the most ridiculous shit that, like James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy.
Speaker B:Ridiculous.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it plays it extremely well.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker B:You shouldn't.
Speaker B:It shouldn't be this good based on what the story is and then the content of the movie.
Speaker B:But I love it.
Speaker B:I think it's phenomenal.
Speaker B:I. I don't watch it enough because I don't.
Speaker B:I just don't know why.
Speaker B:And so when it came Amy as.
Speaker B:But I was like, oh, I know what I'm doing.
Speaker A:American Hustle, absolutely, man.
Speaker A:I. I'm with you.
Speaker A:I love this movie.
Speaker A:I think after I give my.
Speaker A:My brief intro of what I think of this movie, we can talk down into one of my only issues with the movie, which is petty and it's me.
Speaker A:But, yeah, I. I listen.
Speaker A:David O. Russell is an interesting dude and his movies are very interesting.
Speaker A:I've enjoyed a lot of his movies, even back to, like, Three Kings, which is.
Speaker A:I don't know if you've seen that, but that's.
Speaker A:That's a weird one.
Speaker A:But, yeah, like, I really enjoy him.
Speaker A:And this one was in.
Speaker A:In terms of.
Speaker A:He's another one that you.
Speaker A:You talk about Scorsese, and Scorsese is really great at getting together some massive ensemble casts.
Speaker A:And David O. Russell, to your.
Speaker A:You know, to your point, he does a very good job of that, too, these days.
Speaker A:Like, you look back over the last handful of his movies, man, and typically there's always some carryovers just like Scorsese.
Speaker A:So I think it's a very good comparison for directors and writers and things like that.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But yeah, like, this movie's great.
Speaker A:I think the Cast kills it.
Speaker A:I mean, I even think, like, listen, I'm not.
Speaker A:And I've said this on the podcast a few times.
Speaker A:Christian Bale is not my favorite, but I really enjoy him in this movie.
Speaker A:Like, the fact that this dude can look the way he looks, like his little paunch and he's balding and he's looks a little goofy and talks real weird and is just kind of a weird dude, but is still able to do this con man at a high level.
Speaker A:Man, I love that.
Speaker A:I love the.
Speaker A:The against the grain because all washed out.
Speaker A:Because typically, it's like you get a con man and they're all smooth and, like, you know, you think like, catch me if you can or something like that.
Speaker A:Everybody's like, smooth again.
Speaker A:But this dude is not that.
Speaker A:Like, and I. I realize that he uses Amy Adams as, like, that kind of piece of the caricature.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But it's still.
Speaker A:I just love the dichotomy of those two and, like, how it works.
Speaker A:And then, yeah, throw in Jennifer Lawrence, you're like, what the is going on?
Speaker B:Don't put any men on the science machine.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And you're right.
Speaker A:Like, you take it this.
Speaker A:That should be very serious.
Speaker A:Like, you got all sorts of criminal going on, but it's just funny as.
Speaker B:So it's hilarious.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's great.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker A:I. I really enjoyed this movie.
Speaker A:I will say that I have, like, the only thing that I have.
Speaker A:And again, this is all me.
Speaker A:Like, a lot of people think this is peak David O. Russell, but I think Silver Linings Playbook is peak David O. Russell, and this movie was his follow up to that.
Speaker A:And so I had a hard time, like, letting go of the fact that Silver Linings Playbook is one of my favorite movies.
Speaker A:Like, it's top 25 for me, for sure.
Speaker A:And this movie's up in that ballpark like it wants to be.
Speaker A:But I always compare it to Silver Linings Playbook because of the carryover cast with, you know, Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.
Speaker A:I can't, like, break those two apart for some reason when I watch it.
Speaker A:And again, it's an.
Speaker A:It's a me thing because they're very different movies.
Speaker A:But at the same time, like, I can't help but compare them.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And it.
Speaker A:This one doesn't win in that comparison for me.
Speaker A:So it's.
Speaker A:That's where this.
Speaker A:This one falls short.
Speaker A:And it's so stupid that I had to say it out loud so that when my.
Speaker A:When the rest of this review Is kind of tinged with a little bit of doubt.
Speaker A:Just know it's because I'm a petty.
Speaker B:That's fair.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:I won't hold it against you until I can profit from it.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker B:But, yeah, no, like.
Speaker B:Like you were saying with Christian Bale.
Speaker B:And the, you know, fact that he looks the way he does is so great because it's the.
Speaker B:It's like kind of like the reality versus the romantic.
Speaker B:Romanticizing of it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like you got Bradley Cooper playing Damasio.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:So something like that.
Speaker A:Damascus.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Whatever it is.
Speaker B:And he's.
Speaker B:He's 100.
Speaker B:The romantized version of, you know, big bust going after the mob.
Speaker B:You know, he's raised on stories of how they took out Capone, but he kind of missed the golden years versus Christian Baylor's.
Speaker B:Like, that's not how this goes.
Speaker B:Yeah, stop my.
Speaker B:Stop everything up.
Speaker B:Yeah, we.
Speaker B:You wanted this.
Speaker B:Now you want.
Speaker B:Want more.
Speaker B:You want change?
Speaker B:Like, you gotta tell me what you want, because that's how the plan goes.
Speaker B:And Christian Bale's character, the Rosenthal, he's.
Speaker B:He's 100.
Speaker B:The create the problem and then supply the solution.
Speaker B:We see it in the intro where he's breaking the windows so that as a glass business, but he's the one who's moving all the pieces, right?
Speaker B:And based on what the goal is.
Speaker B:That's how you create the problem.
Speaker B:Then sell this.
Speaker B:You know, sell the solution.
Speaker B:And you got freaking device.
Speaker B:Just like, well, now I want.
Speaker B:And now I want.
Speaker B:And we all know somebody like that.
Speaker B:Maybe not to that extreme, but just every single time a goal is hit it the post move.
Speaker B:And it's like, hey, well, now I have to go back and undo all the shit I just did.
Speaker B:Because what you want is now different.
Speaker B:And I can't do it with the.
Speaker B:With the pieces I put into play.
Speaker B:And so I love it because it's this kind of like reality versus the, you know, almost the movies.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:It's like, stop.
Speaker B:Stop it.
Speaker B:Stop.
Speaker B:Nope.
Speaker B:Nope.
Speaker B:Bad.
Speaker B:Until eventually just gets fed up with it.
Speaker B:It's like, hey, you too, then.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:You'll be the perfect patsy.
Speaker A:Oh, for sure.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I. I'm with you.
Speaker A:And I love the way that Cooper plays.
Speaker A:Plays this character.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker A:And I. I'm a big fan of Bradley Cooper in general.
Speaker A:General.
Speaker A:But the way he plays this character to me is like, this is talking.
Speaker A:There it goes.
Speaker A:Again.
Speaker A:To me, talk about.
Speaker A:This is peak Bradley Cooper.
Speaker A:Like, even.
Speaker A:I think even this is one case where if you want to talk about wins between Silver Linings Playbook in this for me.
Speaker A:Bradley Cooper steps it up even more in this because he's phenomenal in Silver Linings Playbook.
Speaker A:But that's Jennifer Lawrence's movie, in my opinion.
Speaker A:This one, it's hard to say it because there's so much good acting across the board, but this might be Bradley Cooper's movie.
Speaker A:To me, just because you get this comfort zone and I.
Speaker A:Let me explain.
Speaker A:I get.
Speaker A:You get in this comfort zone of like watching Christian Bale's character do his thing and Amy Adams stepping in and supporting him being the actual, like, football in every play and being able to run this.
Speaker A:And then you got Jennifer Lawrence, who's this like, loose cannon that you're like, she might some up down the road.
Speaker A:But then, you know, and so you're watching all this and it's going on and it's going on, and then all of a sudden you see Bradley Cooper come in and the motto, and you're like, oh, he's gonna this up.
Speaker A:They're on a roll, but he's gonna mess this up.
Speaker A:And I love the reaction, like the facial expressions that that Christian Bale puts on his character whenever he's having a conversation with Bradley Cooper.
Speaker A:It just like the subtlety of that acting.
Speaker A:Like he just looks like I'm reading his mind.
Speaker A:And in his mind he's like, you.
Speaker A:You are all of this up for me.
Speaker A:I'm trying to help you.
Speaker A:And I think that's my favorite part of this movie is watching Christian Bale go, I am a genius.
Speaker A:I figured this out.
Speaker A:I got a plan and it's gonna work because my always works.
Speaker A:And then d' Amato or Lawrence come in, one of the two, and you could just see his face drop and his like, body language go, God damn it.
Speaker B:It's just like, where's my heart pills?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it.
Speaker A:This movie shouldn't be as funny as it is, like, because it's serious.
Speaker A:Like, people are doing some wild ass.
Speaker A:But God bless America.
Speaker A:I. Dude, I laugh so hard at this movie, even at the stuff that's not necessarily supposed to be funny because of watching Christian Bale's face.
Speaker A:Or like when Bradley Cooper and the model go full on manic and they're just like.
Speaker A:It's like moving at 100 miles a minute to get.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And he's just watching.
Speaker A:You're watching Chris Christian Bell just sit there going, oh, my God, what are you doing?
Speaker A:And then again, I think, Amy Adams.
Speaker A:I'm glad you picked this for Amy Adams, because while it's not like a Amy Adams movie.
Speaker A:It doesn't work without her, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:Because she's just all.
Speaker A:For all of his ability to create a plan and get it into motion, without Amy Adams, there's not a single one of them that works.
Speaker A:And so I love that aspect of that relationship too.
Speaker B:She gets a seat at the table.
Speaker B:Nobody's going to talk to him.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:But no.
Speaker B:So I laugh way too hard at this all the time, but it's because.
Speaker B:I think it's because it goes up and down, right?
Speaker B:So I have this like, really intense moment where Bradley Cooper is just freaking out, right.
Speaker B:Christian Bale comes in, he's got the gun and everything, and like this intense moment.
Speaker B:And then it like, cuts away and he's beaten with the phone or just call.
Speaker B:He's like, I want the suite at.
Speaker B:You know, with the Hilton or whatever it was the Spring Hill.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:And just the.
Speaker B:The back and forth.
Speaker B:And like you said, it's almost like a switch.
Speaker B:Like bipolar to the extreme.
Speaker B:And instead of making you go, wow, this guy's crazy.
Speaker B:I'm just laughing because I want to know what happens at the end of this ice fishing story.
Speaker B:Same.
Speaker B:Same with.
Speaker B:But he never just sits and listens to the story.
Speaker B:It's always at the worst time where he does what happened to the ice fish.
Speaker B:Like just the.
Speaker B:The timing and it makes it so comedic and like just it.
Speaker B:It's like a flip of the switch and all of a sudden we're changing directions.
Speaker B:And normally I hate that, but in this.
Speaker B:In this movie works, I think it's because Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, even Amy Adams to the extent is like, it's.
Speaker B:It's seamless.
Speaker B:And even though that's typically what pulls me out and I hate it.
Speaker B:And normally in this, I'm just cackling because it's so funny and so ridiculous while at the same time being extremely relatable, even to the point of.
Speaker B:You got like the.
Speaker B:Almost like the little meeting between the FBI director, his boss.
Speaker B:He's just sitting on the couch going, like, trying to defend his actions.
Speaker B:And it's cutting into where he's just wailing on him in between.
Speaker B:And then on the couch, he's all calm, like, well, you know, I don't know if that's exactly what happened.
Speaker A:So good.
Speaker B:It is just so great that it.
Speaker B:I, you know, forget the fact that.
Speaker A:Hell, I'm just camera problems, dude.
Speaker B:For real.
Speaker B:So it's.
Speaker B:It's just works.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it's crazy that it does, but it does.
Speaker A:Another reason that makes this movie crazy.
Speaker A:Well, and I think this is most David O. Russell helmed films like this where he wrote, directed, like, he's fully involved, is he is like a huge.
Speaker A:Like, let them do their thing.
Speaker A:Like a lot of.
Speaker A:I think there was.
Speaker A:I was watching an interview, this was years ago when it came out that Jeremy Renner was talking about and Christian Bale were talking about the fact that David O. Russell just, like, loves to let people improv through stuff.
Speaker A:And I guess there was a moment where Christian Bale was talking to him and he's like, excuse me.
Speaker A:He's making these decisions about the character and what he was going to do in the scene.
Speaker A:And he's like, you do realize, David, or whatever, you know, that this might change the, you know, the plot down the line by, you know, me running through some of these improvs that you're loving and have me run with.
Speaker A:And I guess the response from David or from David O. Russell was, I hate plots.
Speaker A:Christian.
Speaker A:He goes, I'm all about characters and what characters do, so if that's what your character will do, let's roll with it.
Speaker A:So I think it's interesting.
Speaker A:And I don't.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:Look, I. I think for me, personally, if I was an actor or in any field, like, that kind of up in the air might give me some heart palpitations, but it obviously works because, man, this movie, and it does take some weird twists, like you said.
Speaker A:Like, who's expecting this dude to just beat the shit out of his boss and then have it be this running gag and piece of a conversation that is impacting how this whole thing goes.
Speaker A:That had to have been improv.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Like, there's gotta be.
Speaker A:And I think I appreciate directors from a level of Ewing piece that do that, right?
Speaker A:That let actors be actors, because a lot of times they don't.
Speaker A:And so I think there's things that are missed.
Speaker A:And so with this, there's obviously not anything missed because, man, these characters are well developed, they're well understood, and there's no missing who they are and what they're doing and.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And what they're trying to get.
Speaker A:But, man, they take some twists and turns that I imagine, at least knowing that this was so highly improv.
Speaker B:Had.
Speaker A:To have come from a lot of, let's just make this happen.
Speaker A:Let's just make this happen.
Speaker A:So I really enjoy that Flash.
Speaker A:Sorry, I had a Flash Gordon moment there.
Speaker B:No, that makes a lot of sense.
Speaker B:Where it was a little bit like, I'm gonna try this.
Speaker B:And in this take or whatever it is.
Speaker B:And David.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:That works.
Speaker B:Okay, moving on.
Speaker B:And it's.
Speaker B:I almost seem like.
Speaker B:Wait, wait, wait.
Speaker B:You sure?
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:No, that.
Speaker B:That's great.
Speaker B:You know, cut and wrap.
Speaker B:We'll move on to the next scene.
Speaker B:Because there.
Speaker B:There are moments where it's just.
Speaker B:It's almost just out in left field.
Speaker B:And I would imagine that.
Speaker B:Or if I had to guess, I would say that almost all of Jennifer Lawrence's and Christian Bale's arguments were improv, where it's the little fire.
Speaker B:It's a little fire.
Speaker B:It's fine.
Speaker B:After she put tin foil in the microwave.
Speaker B:Like the.
Speaker B:I like the aftermath of those, I would bet were entirely improv on.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:Because they're just one.
Speaker B:So realistic.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And two going off in, like, four different directions at one time where there's no way someone would write that.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because there's no point to it.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well.
Speaker A:And that's so.
Speaker A:I mean, I know we're talking about Amy Adams movies here, and again, we mentioned that she is obviously front and center in this film and plays a huge part, but at the same time, Jennifer Lawrence does steal every scene she's in, which is a Jennifer Lawrence thing, I think.
Speaker A:Like, she's.
Speaker A:She's something else.
Speaker A:And in this movie, like, she's not in it that much.
Speaker B:Like 10 minutes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:She's only in it a little bit.
Speaker A:And she's in it in this, like, as just, like, more fuel for the chaos for this guy.
Speaker A:And, like.
Speaker A:But she kills it.
Speaker A:And to your point, like, some of the things she does, you're like, oh, yeah, you're.
Speaker A:I get.
Speaker A:Like, you can see the allore, too, because you're also like, man, Amy Adams in this film is like, drop dead.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And she's a chameleon that can change to whatever.
Speaker A:But, man, you get Jennifer Lawrence and you're like, oh, I get it.
Speaker A:Like, that level of chaos and unpredictability.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And it's funny because to me, she's in this film.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker A:We're getting serious about getting serious on filming.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:And talking about this film and the writing on this.
Speaker A:She's a mirror of Christian or Bradley Cooper's character on the flip side.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like, this guy lives in chaos, and now he's got the same person on either side.
Speaker A:He's got the one on the personal life now he's got this slightly professional piece that's driving him from the FBI side.
Speaker A:But, like, it's like holy man.
Speaker A:Like, he just surrounds himself with chaos.
Speaker A:And the only thing that keeps him grounded is Amy Adams character.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:She brings him back and says, okay, we can figure this out.
Speaker A:And it's horrid because, I mean, she knows about Jennifer.
Speaker A:It's just wild how all the players come together in this.
Speaker A:And like, she's so patient.
Speaker A:But you can tell she knows that she'll never be able to be peak level con artist without him.
Speaker A:And he knows vice versa.
Speaker A:That's why he's always, like, trying to fix it.
Speaker A:It's just this interesting weave that was pulled together between all these characters, which makes it even more fun because you're like, what's gonna happen now with these two?
Speaker A:What's gonna happen?
Speaker A:Or are they gonna be in the same room together?
Speaker A:That could be shitty.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:And God forbid, when Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper's character in the same room together, because those two are chaos demons, dude.
Speaker A:And it is amazing.
Speaker B:It's fantastic.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But yeah, it's a good point that I didn't really pick up on.
Speaker B:Is he.
Speaker B:Christian Bale's getting from both ends.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And that's why Amy Adams character is really central to everything.
Speaker B:Is she's the voice of reason.
Speaker B:But even she's like, let's get the out of crazy town, dude.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Multiple times.
Speaker A:What are we doing?
Speaker B:Like, that's.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:But to have the confidence that we can just run.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And nobody's gonna catch us.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like, that is peak level confidence.
Speaker B:Granted.
Speaker B:If Damasio is the one chasing you.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You're.
Speaker B:You're scot free.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:But if somebody else comes after you as an ounce of brain cells, then you might be in a little bit.
Speaker A:Of trouble for sure.
Speaker B:But that.
Speaker B:That whole thing, like, I would love to see.
Speaker B:You know, I know this is based off a true story, so we're not gonna get it, but a little spin off of these two characters would have been so cool.
Speaker A:That would have been amazing.
Speaker B:I just do it.
Speaker B:Ocean's Eleven type.
Speaker B:American Hustle.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Hilarious, dude.
Speaker B:I will say so.
Speaker B:A little.
Speaker B:Not necessarily a problem, but maybe nitpicky.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:We love to get nitpicky on the podcast.
Speaker B:Is that the casting characters are so great that by the time we get De Niro, I'm not impressed.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Or it's.
Speaker B:It's almost like, oh, I was wondering, you know, where's Joe Pesci at?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Or.
Speaker B:And so by the time we get there, the.
Speaker B:The payoff for it wasn't There because everybody else is so great.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:That De Niro seems almost like fan service.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like it's a.
Speaker B:It's a, you know, adjacent mob movie.
Speaker B:Who are we gonna throw in there?
Speaker B:Robert De Niro.
Speaker B:We have to.
Speaker A:I think it's even worse because it feels like.
Speaker A:Because David O. Russell is.
Speaker A:Is notorious for using the same actors a lot.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And for three or four.
Speaker A:I think De Niro's been in every movie he's done since Silver Linings Playbook, maybe even before.
Speaker A:I'd have to look.
Speaker A:But, like, I.
Speaker A:And I'm with you.
Speaker A:I agree 100% with what you just said.
Speaker A:And I saw it from the lens of.
Speaker A:Not only is it because all we're in a mobster movie, we need a De Niro or a Pacino or a Pesci.
Speaker A:But instead it was, oh, it's a David O. Russell movie.
Speaker A:So we have to have De Niro.
Speaker A:So when he popped up, I was like, ah, fuck.
Speaker A:I was like, you put that in there just to give Robert De Niro some cash and have him in your film, like, because his character was while funny.
Speaker A:And listen, De Niro's De Niro, right?
Speaker A:So it's like, we love De Niro.
Speaker A:He's a genius.
Speaker A:Don't mind the squeaking in the background.
Speaker A:My dog always picks the worst times to decide to play.
Speaker A:But, yeah, like, so De Niro's De Niro.
Speaker A:We love having him.
Speaker A:But it felt forced.
Speaker A:It just felt unnecessary to have De Niro in there because I don't think it.
Speaker A:I. I mean, look, I just don't think it's.
Speaker A:Improve the movie all that much.
Speaker A:It just was like, okay, well, there's De Niro and there's this character that.
Speaker A:Okay, it's funny because it's De Niro and it's.
Speaker A:It's fits the theme, but it's not.
Speaker A:It's unnecessary, at least to me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I like here just, you know, spitballing here.
Speaker B:I think it would have been funny if you did De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino.
Speaker B:Like, they're awesome.
Speaker B:Like, they're the three guys together in a way.
Speaker B:And so then you're leading into this mobster trope, even David Russell a little bit.
Speaker B:But you're almost again, poking fun at yourself a little bit or poking fun at the source material, the content.
Speaker B:It's not a mobster movie unless these three guys are in it.
Speaker B:And so I think that would have been kind of playing in.
Speaker B:With the same storyline I give you through the three of them in but since it's just De Niro, by the time we got there, I was like, okay, you know, it's not the menacing, you know, mobster that it's supposed to be in this situation because you have Michael Pena sitting opposite him.
Speaker B:Who is it?
Speaker B:It's never gonna be this kind of intense scene that you're trying for.
Speaker B:And so I would have leaned the other way and gone full comedy and been like, hey, this, this, this will be funny.
Speaker B:Because it would have been.
Speaker B:You throw the three, you know, de facto mobster guys into the same movie in the same scene.
Speaker B:That would at least make me laugh.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, no, I would have loved that.
Speaker A:Like, that would have been absolutely hilarious.
Speaker A:Just because you walk in, it's like the triumvirate of mobster actors.
Speaker A:And yeah, that would have been hilarious as hell.
Speaker A:And, and like you said, like, it would have really, like just leaned right into it.
Speaker B:Or you do Pacino.
Speaker B:Not Pacino.
Speaker B:You do Pesci and De Niro there.
Speaker B:And then Pacino's the lawyer.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, that would have been good.
Speaker A:Or even better make Pesci the lawyer.
Speaker A:Because then it's almost like my cousin Vinnie.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Is that Vinnie?
Speaker B:That would have been funny.
Speaker A:That would have been hysterical.
Speaker A:Because he could have had the same accent.
Speaker A:Like, it would have worked.
Speaker A:Oh, it would have been epic, dude.
Speaker A:Would have been epic.
Speaker A:Vinnie's back.
Speaker A:Watch this.
Speaker B:But then, then, then you keep with this kind of comedic thing that's going.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Because it's a little jarring when you have this big wrap up coming or, you know, you get into the third act of the movie and you have the, oh, he's in trouble with everybody now because his wife can't keep her mouth shut, you know, and you.
Speaker B:It's a great payoff at the end.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:But when half the movie is just off the walls comedy and the other half is trying to be this kind of serious back end mob deal.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's like just pick one or the other and the comedy is working really well.
Speaker B:Just keeps fear in that way.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because it, it wouldn't affect the, the payoff of the movie.
Speaker A:Yeah, the payoff still happens.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So you can, you can almost skip this 10 minutes of, you know, trying to switch to this very serious, you know, super drama.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Intense situation.
Speaker C:Man.
Speaker A:Yeah, No, I think it's a good call out.
Speaker A:I, I never really thought about it from that perspective because it does the movie king.
Speaker A:And this is a David O. Russell in general problem, but his movies are just as manic as a lot of his characters, like, they.
Speaker A:They kind of give you whiplash if you're not prepared for it.
Speaker A:And so it's like, I'm with you.
Speaker A:I think keeping with that theme of comedy and the comedic relief, especially the oddball off the wall stuff that happens, like, yeah, that would have been hilarious.
Speaker A:And I you.
Speaker A:I guarantee you could have got at least Joe Pesci, probably Pacino.
Speaker A:If you really now, it would have cost you.
Speaker A:But this movie, David O. Russell movies make tons of money.
Speaker A:So I don't know.
Speaker A:Especially at this time, man, he was killing it, dude.
Speaker A:Between Silver Linings, this one Joy, man, he was knocking it out of the park around this time.
Speaker A:So it's like, yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker A:I feel that.
Speaker A:I feel that.
Speaker A:But you mentioned Michael Pena and I just said it, dude.
Speaker A:Why is Michael Pena the greatest bit actor on the planet?
Speaker B:Like, I don't know.
Speaker B:Just is not enough credit for what he does.
Speaker A:Seriously.
Speaker A:And the guy doesn't lead movies, but God damn it, if he ain't one of the greatest little.
Speaker A:Just insert him in here.
Speaker A:He can be serious.
Speaker A:He can be it.
Speaker A:Because he do.
Speaker A:He was great in the Shooter, I think is what it was called.
Speaker A:And then with.
Speaker A:He was awesome in that.
Speaker A:That was a ser role.
Speaker A:And then you get him in like Ant man, where he steals the entire movie with like the voiceover scenes.
Speaker A:And then like, like, I was like Ant Man 2.
Speaker A:I was like, if Michael Pena doesn't get a goddamn gonna be, I'm gonna lose my.
Speaker A:Because that was one of two of the best parts of the whole first movie.
Speaker A:And then you get him in something like this where, like people are just able to riff off him so well.
Speaker A:Like, the whole line where he's like.
Speaker A:Where I think it's Christian Bale is like the.
Speaker A:Do you care?
Speaker A:You're Mexican.
Speaker A:And like Michael Pena's face just like, like, this is amazing.
Speaker A:But only Michael Pena can pull that off, I swear to God.
Speaker A:But he's just.
Speaker A:Every time I see Pena, I'm like, okay, I can get behind this movie.
Speaker A:I like it.
Speaker B:He doesn't have to spend a lot of time on screen either.
Speaker B:No, you can give him the three minutes he got in this movie and it's beautiful, perfect.
Speaker B:And you could give him a major role like he did in the Shooter series.
Speaker B:And again he shows up and does his job and it's perfect.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And even in Ant man, like, Ant man did so well because he was there.
Speaker B:And then I think it was a third one where they didn't do it.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:Like he didn't show up.
Speaker B:I hate that movie.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now it's.
Speaker B:It's no worse than Ant Man 1 and Ant Man 2.
Speaker B:The only thing that's different is Michael.
Speaker A:No, Michael Pena.
Speaker A:I didn't get my.
Speaker A:I didn't get my summarization of what's going on.
Speaker A:The weird.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's so good.
Speaker B:And it's, it's just one of those things, like he's, he's the perfect.
Speaker B:Hey, we need a spot filled.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it's not going to be someone who's gonna necessarily overshadow the scene or steal it in, you know, away.
Speaker B:But it's a solid, you know, just like you can't be mad at him for coming in and showing up and.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, great.
Speaker B:Solid performance.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Stealer.
Speaker A:But he makes the scenes better.
Speaker A:Like he's a scene improver.
Speaker A:Like, you can't.
Speaker A:It could be a great scene, but when you throw Pena in there, he's going to make it better without stealing it.
Speaker A:And make.
Speaker A:In most cases.
Speaker A:Now he does steal some, but like in most cases, he just adds to it, adds value to the scene, which is amazing.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:All right, should we rate this thing?
Speaker B:Let's do it.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker A:Alex, your movie.
Speaker A:Kick us off, buddy.
Speaker A:What are you rate in American Hustle?
Speaker B:I'm giving it four and a half.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker B:I don't think I.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's one of those sleeper movies.
Speaker B:I don't think it gets enough talk about credit.
Speaker B:And I think it might be because it doesn't really have a place.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:We kind of talked about it.
Speaker B:It's not necessarily a comedy and it's not necessarily a drama and it's not necessarily a mobster movie and it's not necessarily a, you know, romance film.
Speaker B:But it is all of those things at the same time.
Speaker B:So it's hard to focus on.
Speaker B:But it is such a great watch every single time.
Speaker B:And yes, I'm a four and a half.
Speaker B:We'll watch it again.
Speaker B:100.
Speaker A:Love it.
Speaker A:I am going to do the same thing.
Speaker A:You can give it a four and a half again.
Speaker A:It's not my peak David O. Russell movie, but it's.
Speaker A:It's second in command for sure.
Speaker A:I think the ensemble cast, the wonky.
Speaker A:Just like all over the place.
Speaker A:Which for me, typically, I've bitched about that in so many movies.
Speaker A:Like, I am not a fan.
Speaker A:But it works in David O. Russell movies.
Speaker A:Like, I think he lets you.
Speaker A:He gives enough freedom but reigns in and keeps to the structure of the story.
Speaker A:Well enough that it doesn't derail anything and it actually adds value from a comedic level.
Speaker A:And like, it keeps you on your toes when you're watching his movies, like, because you don't know exactly what's gonna happen next.
Speaker A:And so.
Speaker A:And there's always these little overarching story beats that carry through even if they're not talking about that particular thing directly in the movie or it's not playing into that.
Speaker A:There's.
Speaker A:You can always see how it fits into the bigger picture of it, which I think is a direct testament to the writing and the directing of David O. Russell and why his movies are so successful.
Speaker A:They can be wonky and weird and silly, but they still follow that story structure and keeps you going from start to finish with what you need to do.
Speaker A:Now, he has some missed beats like we talked about with De Niro, things like that, but overall it's.
Speaker A:They're very successful in telling a story in a very fun and interesting way that keeps you very engaged, in my opinion.
Speaker A:So, yeah, Four and a half.
Speaker A:I will definitely watch it again.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:A lot of David O. Russell's movies on my watch at any time list and this one's.
Speaker A:This one's really high up there.
Speaker A:So Four and a Half.
Speaker A:Good choice.
Speaker A:Good movie.
Speaker A:Matson missed out once again.
Speaker A:This guy, he's gonna wish he was here for the first two and not.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:For the last two because about to ruin his world anyway.
Speaker A:Yeah, there it is.
Speaker A:American Hustle.
Speaker A:Alec, tell everybody where they can find us if they're not sitting here watching us right now.
Speaker B:Happy to.
Speaker B:So like JJ said at the beginning, this is week two of AAA month.
Speaker B:That's Amy Adams August.
Speaker B:And we got two more weeks, two more movies.
Speaker B:Like JJ also said is the best place to get involved with the podcast is on Patreon.
Speaker B:You can go on.
Speaker B:What's our verdict?
Speaker B:Reviews.
Speaker B:Vote on movies that is absolutely free.
Speaker B:You can vote on if we let Matson back on the podcast or not.
Speaker B:We kicked him off man of the People.
Speaker B:Not true.
Speaker B:The people spoke and they voted him off.
Speaker B:So you can vote him back on if you want to for the next little bit, but voting is completely free.
Speaker B:We put up categories.
Speaker B:We put up movies that are within those categories.
Speaker B:You can vote on both and help direct the content into something that you want to see.
Speaker B:There is a little bit more, about 550 bonus videos ranging from outtakes and bits to making fun of each other, all the way up to full length episodes of requested movies that nobody should ever watch.
Speaker B:But we've done it for you.
Speaker B:That is behind a little bit of a paywall, but it is well worth it with hours and hours of content and just good vibes.
Speaker C:Look at that.
Speaker B:I'm, I'm, I'm hip.
Speaker B:I know slaying words.
Speaker B:But without that, you know, not going on Patreon, not wanting to be a part of that.
Speaker B:You can still find us on YouTube where you can see our faces in the light or in the dark is what's going on this episode for me.
Speaker B:But that way you can put a name to the face and a face to the name and follow us there, subscribe, do all that we love comments.
Speaker B:So leave us a nice comment or leave us a mean comment.
Speaker B:Either one works.
Speaker B:It makes our world go around.
Speaker B:With that, I'll kick it back to our fearless leader, the Maharajah of mash the wise here of Wap A jj.
Speaker A:Thanks, buddy.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:Yeah, go check us out in all the places.
Speaker A:Even listening to us on your way to work.
Speaker A:What a way to start your day.
Speaker A:That's all I'm saying.
Speaker A:So there it is.
Speaker A:We'll kick back into our next couple movies here.
Speaker A:Coming soon with Amy Adams August.
Speaker A:But for now, we appreciate you tuning in.
Speaker B:We'll catch you on the next Hasta la vista, baby.
Speaker A:Cinematic.
