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Irving Rosenfeld: Did you ever have to find a way to survive and you knew
your choices were bad, but you had to survive?
Sydney Prosser: You're nothing to me until you're everything.

A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to
rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving
Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive
British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI
agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of
Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy
Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator
caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn
(Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire
world crashing down. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment
AMERICAN HUSTLE FILM REVIEW & OSCAR
PREVIEW 1-15-2014
1-15-2014 - Written By: David L. $Money Train$ Watts Journalist/Film Reviewer
FuTurXTV & HHBMedia.com - David Velo Stewart Editor HHBMedia.com
I have to say that one of the most pleasant things about last years release of David O
Russells Silver Lining Playbook was not expecting to like it so much that I was
actually dumbfounded and very upset that when it lost Best Picture to Argo. So we fast
forward a year and I again heard about this huge super hybrid cast of A-listers from The
Fighter and Silver Lining Playbook and I thought David O Russell did not strike gold
again for sure? But as soon as started watching American Hustle I knew was gonna
love it big time! So instead of a regular style film review I will tick off 25 things I loved
about American Hustle. I have no doubt that this film is destined to win multiple Oscars
for the cast and writing. And American Hustle might even steal Best Picture as well.
David L. $Money Train$ Watts FuTurXTV HHBMedia.com info@hhbmedia.com www.hhbmedia.com David Velo Stewart
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1. I loved the way the film opens with Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) paying close
and meticulous attention to his bald spot and comber over because this was an
important insight to how careful and detailed he treats hustles and scams. And
one can seriously wonder later on in the film if one of the hidden reasons that
Irving truly hates Agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) is that Richie messes up
his hair in front of his girlfriend to show him who is the boss.

2. I loved the fact that Irving owned and run a few legit dry cleaners while he
moonlighted as a con man. And I even loved the fact that Irving had a sort of
private hustle as art gallery con that he did for more himself than to make money.

3. I loved the natural, passionate and symbiotic romantic chemistry between two
con soul-mates Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and Irving as much as I
understood the chaotic, explosive and dysfunctional romantic chemistry between
Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence). The writing is so balanced that I never
felt Irving should have only been with Sydney at the expense of making Rosalyn
just an afterthought. Rosalyn had as much a spell over Irving as Sydney did.



4. I really loved Richies over the top bravado, rapid sentences and overall
cheeseball sliminess to do or say anything to get his way with Rosalyn. You can
see a sample below of Russells fluid and rhythmic writing in the way Richie tries
to breakdown Sydney after he arrests her and puts her in a FBI holding cell.
David L. $Money Train$ Watts FuTurXTV HHBMedia.com info@hhbmedia.com www.hhbmedia.com David Velo Stewart
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Richie DiMaso: I know you think - look at me, hey, Edith - I know you think Irv loves you.
I know you think you know him. You think that he sees the world as this cold, dark place.
He cares about nobody but a very few people on a short list: His son, his father, Rosalyn,
and you. You think you're on the top of the list? What if you're not? What if you're not on
that list? What if you're not even on that list at all? He'd be in here right now if he took the
cheque, but no, you did. God, it's so clear to me; it's crazy, it's clear to me, but it's not clear
to you: He uses you, Edith, to protect himself, to protect son, and his wife in Long Island.
No? Yes. He put a ring on her finger, he adopted her son. They have a huge house and they
have two huge cars, what does she do all day? I'll tell you what she does: She plays with her
nails, she watches TV, and she spends your money; the money that you make.
[sighs]
Richie DiMaso: I don't like that you're in jail while he's going free, I don't like any of that,
I want to help you. All the razzle-dazzle that he does? It's not good, it's not real; it's fake,
it's not real. Who you are is who you are, between you and God. You and your soul; that's
what matters, that's what counts, that's what I'm about. That's what I see in you. Tell me
you didn't feel it the first time we saw each other? Am I crazy? I don't think so.
[beat]
Richie DiMaso: I'm not supposed to be talking like this, but I don't care, I break the rules.
[takes a deep breath]
Richie DiMaso: Okay, Edith, Edith, I wanna help you. I like you.
[mouths]
Richie DiMaso: I like you.
[speaks]
Richie DiMaso: I like you.

5. I loved Rosalyn because Jennifer Lawrences performance was so unpredictable,
captivating and mesmerizing that one could not look away or even care about
anything else plot wise until she stopped speaking or screaming at Irving.

6. I like that Richies boss Stoddard Thorsen was played by smartly played by Louis
C.K. as demure, patient and conservative bureaucratic boob. It was far more
refreshing to see this new acting side of Louis than his loud and wild rants.
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7. I loved that Irving was actually and deeply insulted that Richie thought he could
easily become a professional con man like himself and Sydney. Irving takes
great pride in his cons and truly wants Richie to respect him for what he does a
big time or sophisticated level. Irving does no see himself as a small time hood.



8. I loved the fact that Irving is actually torn up inside about having to scam Mayor
Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) after Carmine trusts him and treats him as a
genuine friend. Before meeting Carmine Irving seemed like he had kept up a
wall, so he could distance himself from the folks he regularly hustled or conned.

9. I loved Rosalyn science oven scene in American Hustle so much I actually felt
really sad for Lupito Nyongo because I knew after that there virtually was no
chance of Lupito easily winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Before I
saw American Hustle I could not honestly see anyone get that Oscar besides
Lupito outstanding performance as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. But there is so
much raw emotion and humor in Rosalyn taking no responsibility whatsoever in
her actions of putting metal in a microwave despite being warned not to do it.


David L. $Money Train$ Watts FuTurXTV HHBMedia.com info@hhbmedia.com www.hhbmedia.com David Velo Stewart
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Irving Rosenfeld: [Rosalyn has accidentally destroyed their new microwave] I told you not
to put metal in the science oven, what did you do that for?
Rosalyn Rosenfeld: Don't make such a big deal! Just get another one.
Irving Rosenfeld: I don't want another one, want the one that Carmine gave me.
Rosalyn Rosenfeld: [mocking] Oh, Carmine! I want the one that Carmine gave me!
Carmine! Carmine!
[serious]
Rosalyn Rosenfeld: Why don't you just marry Carmine? Get a little gold microwave and
put it on a chain around your neck! You wanna be more like Carmine? Why don't you
build something, like he does? Instead of all your empty deals; they're just like your fuckin'
science oven. You know, I read that it takes all of the nutrition out of our food! It's empty,
just like your deals. Empty! Empty!
Irving Rosenfeld: Bullshit.
Rosalyn Rosenfeld: It's not bullshit! I read it in an article, look: By Paul Bradeur
[hands Irving the article]
Rosalyn Rosenfeld: . Bring something into this house that's gonna take all the nutrition out
of our food and then light our house on fire? Thank God for me.
10. I loved the fact that Sydney and Rosalyn openly knew of each other, but might
not have never met each other until Richie forced Iriving and Sydney to do the
Arab scam to bust Carmine and other crooked Jersey politicians. And I especially
like how each of the women saw each other not as true competition for Irving, but
rather that each possessed some unique feature or characteristic that Irving
really wanted in them. He was not satisfied with only having Sydney or Rosalyn.


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11. I loved how Agent Richie had to keep begging for hotel suites, jets and other
support materials from his boss. The more Stoddard keeps telling Richie No to
his requests to make his sting as big and believable the more I kept laughing.

12. I loved how Robert De Niro played a Victor Tellegio as a very low key and wise
Mobster that actually knew how to speak Arabic. One could easily have
dismissed De Neros cameo, but that scene was such a shocker that even folks
in the theaters were wondering if Irving and Richies scam was going to blow up
right there. Just a great bit of writing so De Niro can throw viewers a curve ball.

13. I loved the fact that Richie becomes so obsessed with nabbing a real mobster
like Victor Telligio that you could see was going to do something reckless and
foolish to help out Irving and Sydney. Blind ambition is Richies downfall.

14. I loved the running gag between Richie and Stoddard about ice fishing story
because every time we think Richie has figured it out he hasnt. And I also
thought it was pure brilliance to not actually finish telling the

15. I loved the fact Rosalyn was so crazy as a personality that you just know the
scam is in trouble when she dates mob enforcer Pete Musane (Jack Huston).


16. I loved the fact that Rosalyn is so stubborn and proud that even when she knows
she is dead wrong-like telling her mobster boyfriend that Irving was speaking to
IRS guysthat she insists to Irving that if she had not gotten him almost killed
he would not have been forced to come up with a solution to all their problems. It
is brilliantly written scenes like this that will make Oscar voters forced to vote for
Jennifer Lawrence. Russell really knew how to turn Rosalyn into a great film role.
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17. I loved how Sydney dropped her English ascent and Richie could not mentally
deal with the fact that he had been fooled 100% by her fake English identity.

18. I loved the quirky and awkward of Richie at his real home wearing curlers trying
to psyche himself up and barely acknowledging his real girlfriend and mother
listening to him in character. Just showing Richie wearing curlers helps deflate
and almost mocks the traditional masculine images for FBI agents in Hollywood.



19. I loved Irving and Amy fighting over how to live their lives as real people when
Irving is still very concerned about being a step-father to Rosalyns young son.

20. I loved the fact that Richie finally loses it and beats up Stoddard with a phone.
There are many Millennials who have no idea how heavy those old rotary office
phones were, so that beating would have been very painful to Stoddards face.

21. I loved the moment when Richie thinks he has won and replays the voice
recording of Victor Tellegios lawyer admitting to taking bribes to a room full of
FBI agents, Stoddard and Stoddards boss Anthony Amado (Allessandro Nivola).

22. I loved the way that Irving tries to warn Carmine about his impending arrest, but
the film does not cop op out and let Carmine escape from still getting arrested.

23. I loved the music in American Hustle because it was a mixture of great jazz
songs, rock hits, classic R&B songs and popular disco songs from the 70s.

24. I loved the fact that Irving pulled one last American Hustle on the FBI and
Richie just to prove to Richie who really was the boss of bosses among con men.

25. I loved that Irvings loss of his friendship with Carmine made him go straight and
not predictable reasons like he loved Sydney and wanted to take care of his son.
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David L. $Money Train$ Watts FuTurXTV HHBMedia.com info@hhbmedia.com www.hhbmedia.com David Velo Stewart