Southwest Messenger - May 19th, 2019
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www.columbusmessenger.com SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - <strong>May</strong> 19, <strong>2019</strong> - PAGE 15<br />
In Entertainment<br />
Don’t get scammed by “e Hustle”<br />
In an attempt to make older properties feel more<br />
relevant to today’s times, movie studios have begun to<br />
gender swap their relics in order to give off the faint<br />
whiff that they are doing something original.<br />
Sometimes the idea works and the familiar product<br />
feels new and fresh and sometimes it backfires and a<br />
stale stench lingers over it.<br />
The latest film to receive the swap treatment by a<br />
studio is “The Hustle,” a re-envisioning of the 1988 con<br />
caper “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” starring Michael<br />
Caine and Steve Martin. Throughout the years, that<br />
film has reached comedy classic status due to its sheer<br />
absurdity and twist ending, thus casting a long shadow<br />
for any follow up. As its more modern counterpart,<br />
“The Hustle” already had too much to live up to and it<br />
unsurprisingly feels like a pale imitation of its elder<br />
version. With that being said, it has a few shining<br />
moments of its own so it is not completely devoid of<br />
any merit.<br />
It begins with the introduction of Penny Rust<br />
(Rebel Wilson), a small-time scammer who finds her<br />
marks through dating apps. The writers wanted it<br />
known that Wilson is the lead who has a conscience.<br />
Her character makes her decision on who to scam<br />
based on how the target treats her. For example, if she<br />
meets a guy and he is nice to her, she leaves him alone.<br />
If she meets a guy and he is rude, the scam if a full go.<br />
When we officially meet her, she is in “full go”<br />
mode, trying to bilk $500 from a shallow man jerk<br />
(played brilliantly by Veep’s Timothy Simons) for<br />
breast implants for a made up sister. And just when it<br />
seems she is about to score some quick cash, the cops<br />
bust up the party thanks to a tip from a recently<br />
burned mark.<br />
While on the run, she spots a magazine article<br />
about a lavish sea-side town in France that is just<br />
overflowing with wealthy people. Having nowhere to<br />
go now that the local authorities are onto her, she<br />
decides that she needs a change of scenery and the<br />
people of the fictional Beaumont-sur-Mer need to be<br />
The Reel Deal<br />
Dedra Cordle<br />
liberated of their money.<br />
As she is becoming more<br />
familiar with her new digs and<br />
marks, she meets a big time<br />
scammer named Josephine<br />
Chesterfield (Anne Hathaway)<br />
who kindly tells her to get lost.<br />
Having no intention to do so,<br />
the two butt heads until Penny ends up scamming her<br />
way into a con artist apprenticeship with Josephine.<br />
These scenes are easily the funniest of the movie, with<br />
Rebel making the most of her comedic chops and<br />
Hathaway with her more subtle humor.<br />
Unfortunately, the film then veers away from their<br />
budding frenemy status with a winner-take-the-town<br />
bet to see who can receive the affections of Thomas<br />
Westerberg (Alex Sharp), a gullible tech millionaire<br />
who is on the cusp of super stardom.<br />
While “The Hustle” doesn’t veer far from the plotting<br />
of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” it also doesn’t have<br />
the level of absurdity and non-stop humor of its predecessor.<br />
There are scenes that truly drag and long<br />
moments where no smiles or laughs are elicited but it<br />
had a few bright spots of entertainment and eyecandy,<br />
namely with the costuming by Emma Fryer.<br />
The outfits will make you want to get some new pieces<br />
in your wardrobe, and then imagine starting your own<br />
scams as you catch a glimpse of the pricing.<br />
Overall, “The Hustle” isn’t a bad movie but it’s not<br />
a fantastic one either. The chemistry between the cast<br />
helps lessen the more tedious moments but it’s a film<br />
that definitely could have worked more efficiently with<br />
a more distinctive point of view. Grade: C-<br />
Dedra Cordle is a <strong>Messenger</strong> staff writer and<br />
columnist.<br />
Summer is Here!<br />
Advertise in our next edition!<br />
June 2, <strong>2019</strong><br />
Deadline: <strong>May</strong> 28, <strong>2019</strong><br />
Contact Doug Henry<br />
614-272-5422<br />
doughenry@columbusmessenger<br />
“Willy Wonka” performed at Darbydale<br />
Students at Darbydale Elementary School put on a spring musical of “Willy Wonka.” The performance was<br />
held on <strong>May</strong> 10 at the school. Darbydale was one of the only elementary schools in the area to put on a<br />
spring musical. About 45 students participated in the musical, which took months of preparation.<br />
Terri Ehmann<br />
REALTOR ®<br />
Direct: (614) 216-7977<br />
Fax: (614) 875-0889<br />
terri.ehmann@herrealtors.com<br />
herrealtors.com/TerriEhmann
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