Anne Hathaway tries on several accents during the course of “The Hustle” but they only serve to call attention to what the film isn’t able to do: Make us laugh.
Based on “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” this new edition suggests Hathaway is a rich con artist who’s threatened by the presence of a rough-and-tumble upstart (Rebel Wilson). Rather than fight each other for the easy marks, they decide to join forces and double their returns.
Both performances are transparent. While Hathaway shows what she might have done with “Mary Poppins Returns,” Wilson looks like a Johnny-come-lately to “Les Miserables.”
Neither is particularly good in this setting; neither gets anything from director Chris Addison who has cut-and-pasted a lot of this from the Steve Martin/Michael Caine edition.
Considering all that has transpired since that 1988 film, an update might have been in order, particularly when it comes to women and the way they’re treated. Alas, that doesn't happen.
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Of the two, Wilson has more to play. She’s not afraid to do physical comedy and has a moment (as a blind woman just looking for help) that says she’s capable of more.
Alex Sharp and Rebel Wilson star in "The Hustle," a comedy about con artists.
The two team up to swindle an app developer (Alex Sharp) who is more than willing to fall for their advances. To make things more interesting, the women wager to see who can land him first. Hathaway tries to win him over with personality; Wilson opts for the blind routine.
Sharp plays nicely with the two (and looks like a Mark Zuckerberg wannabe) and gets his own moments of fun, but this is really a two-hander, designed to give the stars maximum exposure.
While Hathaway has a gorgeous house in the fake Beaumont-sur-Mer, Wilson is a ragtag grifter who must keep evening gowns in her backpack. They’re not natural partners; they’re not even good scene sharers.
Because Addison doesn’t quite know what to do with a plot that has already been perfected, much of this is familiar. Instead of playing an idiot (as Martin did so well), Wilson suggests someone who is institutionalized. She’s an immediate turn-off for Hathaway’s beaus and a quick way for the two to stack up diamond rings.
Longer than it needs to be (and short on details), “The Hustle” doesn’t fool any of the people any of the time. It’s a con that could have used a few more pros.
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