I think we can all agree that American Hustle is one of the worst movies of alltime. So What movie(s) would you consider worse than this?
If I had to pick one, I'd probably pick Batman v Superman. Your turn
There are a ton of movies worse than this one. I don't think this was terrible, but it definitely wasn't good at all. The problem was it was critically acclaimed and put up on a pedestal. When I got done watching it I couldn't believe it was rated so highly. The one that stands out to me as being held in the same regard would be "Gravity". Another polished turd, that left me just as baffled.
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i've got feelings too, ya know - inbetweeners
http://melanoidnation.org/white-man-warns-all-black
Most superhero movies...
shareThere are a lot of movies that are worse than American Hustle, which I think is good, and most of them are horror sequels, reboots & remakes. They just keep making them awful Hellraiser sequels
shareWe can't agree that it's one of the worst movies of all-time, and there are LOTS of worse films out there.
shareAce,
So true, there are a lot of films out there that are worse than this. That being said, this could be the worst film I've seen with this kind of cast. I know this movie gets a lot of a praise but I have to ask why that is?
Okay, everyone has different opinions on movies and that's fine but I just watched this film earlier today and I just couldn't get into it. Sorry, but this is not a good film. It may be what the director was shooting for, but the story is just not very interesting and the characters are not that likeable. Why is everyone in wigs and one male character put curlers in his hair.. lmao. Was this actually supposed to be a comedy? Maybe that's what I missed? idk...
For the most part, there's just too much love story w/ breakup going on here for a crime drama. it seems as though all of the dramatic parts are focused on the relationships that Irv has with the girls rather than the crime elements of the story. Personally, I don't think that's a good way to make a crime film. I mean, if the best part of the movie is one suspenseful cameo by De Niro which only lasts about 5 or 6 minutes then something is wrong.
I will say this, it reminds me of two other films I've seen recently which are, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Rob The Mob. I'd have to say, I liked these two quite a bit more than AH, especially Once Upon a Time.....
Anyhow, Ace, I replied to your post because I like your opinions on movies. I mean, it's not terrible, I'll give it a 5.1 out of 10. At least the ending was pretty good and the cameo with De Niro gives the movie some credibility. But wow, with a cast like this, AH should have been a stellar film.
I'd have objected less to the OP's statement had he phrased it that way, too. Specifying things like, "The worst movie of its type," or, "with this pedigree involved" is very different.
I think I enjoyed the movie more than you did, overall, but I do agree with you to an extent.
We have common ground with this film where I do think that the potential is greater than the realization. Parts of it feel underbaked, and it does meander here and there. Apparently a lot of improvisation was used on set and I think that accounts for it. Improv works when the performers are masters of the craft (as in the Netflix series Middleditch & Schwartz), when the improv is the point (Whose Line is it Anyway), and where the structure is in perfect place (Curb Your Enthusiasm). In a movie like American Hustle, it probably will just make scenes ramble on and plotlines get muddy. It can also bring a degree of realism to the picture given great editing and lots of takes. I don't know what happened with AH.
Where we diverge is that I did actually like the film. I consider its wayward dialogue and cul-de-sac plotting to be negatives, of course, but not so much as to drag it down to a 5/10. I do think it was intended to have a strong comedic streak (hence the curlers). I think it blended genres, to a greater or lesser success, but I'd mostly call it a drama. It just has slashes of comedy and a crime/thriller streak.
I also like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and prefer it immensely to this film; I see the comparison, although I don't know that I'd have noticed it had you not said anything. I haven't seen Rob the Mob.
At the end of the day, I'd probably rate American Hustle 6-7/10. That's the bracket I'd use to say, "I think a lot of people would like this movie, especially if they're a little predisposed to the genre - which is drama-comedy-crime-thriller..." But I do think you're right: given who was involved, it falls short of its potential.
Another good post, Ace.
If they did improvise, then that could make me like the movie a little more. Did you read an article on this topic? If so, post a link to it. I'd like to know a little more about that side of the movie.
I would have to agree that it's more of a 'drama' rather than a crime film. Even though the dramatic parts felt a little forced to me, perhaps the mix of glitz and glamour overshadowed the characters a little too much. If there ever was such a thing as a movie with too much pizzazz, this could be it. It's hard to get style over substance to work in a movie but AH was certainly a valiant effort.
Rob The Mob is probably worth seeing if you like crime films that are based on actual events like AH. Its about the true story of two lovers that decide to rob the social clubs that mobsters frequent.
It may sound like a simplistic story but it has it's moments of intrigue and suspense that we just don't get in AH. However, it lacks the star power of AH and that ultimately hurt the film to some degree. But I still liked it.
Anyways, thanks for the reply.
Thanks! You, too!
I went looking for improvisation information sources and here's what I found: they might or might not have improvised.
This article quotes Bale as saying that they improvised so much he asked the director if it was basically okay to alter the plot: https://www.projectcasting.com/blog/news/american-hustle-and-10-things-you-most-likely-did-not-know-about-the-movie/
On the other hand, the director is quoted in this article saying it looks like improv, but it's not: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-xpm-2014-jan-12-la-et-mn-golden-globes-2014-american-hustle-20140112-story.html
But a final point of interest is that Russel is here saying it was 33% improv; in my opinion, that's a lot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcYgNrO2rpg
Rob the Mob sounds interesting. Sometimes simple stories are better because it allows for a 1.5-2 hours tale with lots of great detail and character moments instead of needing to rush from plot point to plot point.
Good reads, thanks for those links.
Funny how Russell just says straight up that he doesn't care about plots, he's all about characters. lol... That's a ballsy thing for a director to say. I kinda like it.
Then you have the two of them, Bale and Russell, disagreeing on how much is improvising and how much is plot... etc..
Could be a power-play going here where one of them doesn't want to give the other too much credit. haha....
Let me know if you decide to watch Rob The Mob. I posted one reply on it's board entitled - 'Smart Plan'. I'm not so sure this was such a good idea though... lol. Something tells me that robbing mafia members would actually be a bad idea.
I think plot-character is chicken-egg, if it's done right. The best stories are ones where we feel like the plot is compelling, but we also feel like the characters are "making" the plot themselves. So if you have one, you get the other in consequence. The ballsiness comes into play in messing around with that while filming. Yeah, that's something else. It worked for Casablanca, I guess, but I'm not sure the trajectory of the film changed. Then again, Casablanca's story is almost entirely about the people. Will Rick and Ilsa stay together? It's dependent on character, not "plot", if there's a distinction.
Could be a power-play, yeah. It could also be that they just think of it differently or they remember it differently.
I'd figure Batman v Superman would be more your speed.
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