This is apparently a variation of a true story…

Jennifer Lopez is Romona Vega, a veteran stripper at a strip club in New York City. She takes Destiny, a novice stripper under her wing and shows her the ropes… the pole…

The two thereafter create a scheme to cash in on rich, unsuspecting businessmen by drugging them and running up their credit cards to their limits.

Story: This is a tough one to figure out the quality of the writing. The attention to detail is great. But the subject matter is not so sophisticated.

My feeling is that this film hinges more on the performances than the story, but, because there is just speculation about whether this is based on real characters… it’s hard to say.

The dialogue appears to be authentic so I will at least acknowledge some level of success for the writing.

Performances: This is where this movie shines. The stripping scenes are very precise and choreographed. They are authentic. Jennifer Lopez should be commended for her dedication to learning the craft. There is of course talk of Oscar for J. Lo… Let’s see how the Academy feels about that. I’m neutral on a nomination for her… either way…

BUT, Constance Wu as Destiny is a best supporting actress nominee for me. I really liked the character arc for Destiny and Constance Wu made it feel real.

Visual: Slinky outfits… skimpy uniforms… platform stiletto’s with clear heels. Champagne room. All strip club. All stripper.

Furs, leather, VINYL apparel. New York City never looked seedier…

Rating: B-. Not quite an A for effort, but, not so common that it deserves a C. Again, the subject matter alone lends itself to more unique story telling so Hustlers kinda has a built-in appeal.

This is a see for me. It’s good entertainment because it opens the viewer up to a world they otherwise may not have any exposure. Learn something new. Kudos…