Hustlers

Films about exotic dancers don’t exactly have a top-notch history – your “Flashdances” and “Strip Tease” and “Showgirls” generally tend to substitute bumps and grinds for plot and interesting characters. “Hustlers” is a rare exception, partially because the true story it tells is legitimately interesting beyond the environment it’s set in, partially because it’s a film almost entirely populated by women and with very little interest in just offering cheap titillation to the audience (though the titillation when it is required is indeed fairly lively). The action starts in the late 2000s, as a struggling young woman starts exotic dancing to support herself and her grandma, learning tips of the trade from the older Ramona. After leaving the business for a failed marriage, she returns to find the financial crisis has dried up the usual sources of income, and slightly more devious methods become necessary.

Ramona is the kind of role we’ve been waiting for Jennifer Lopez to have for around 20 years (ever since “Out of Sight” showed there was a powerhouse performer here who just needed the right script). She’s tough but tender, rough and ready and incredibly intriguing. Constance Wu as the ostensible lead is never quite as fascinating, but she has a few moments as the student develops her own skills. The rest of the supporting cast also keeps things moving pretty well, as this develops into an unusual kind of crime story where capers pile up until everything shifts out of control. There’s a little bit of political underlining at the end, but in general this is a really thrilling, fun, stylish female-centric comedy-drama-crime-thriller kinda film that is way smarter than it initially looks.