With such positive critical acclaim, it is no wonder that director David O. Russel’s movie American Hustle has received a whopping 10 nominations for the 86th Academy Awards.
PHOTO/Glamour Magazine UK
Russel reunited Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in this film, after their undeniable on-screen chemistry in 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook.
American Hustle, which is loosely based on the FBI ABSCAM operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s, tells the story of Irving Rosenfeld, a brilliant con-man played by Christian Bale, and his “British” accomplice Sydney Prosser, played by Amy Adams. Together, the pair uses their powers of charm seduction to con the innocent out of tens of thousands of dollars.
After being caught in a scandal, the pair is forced to work with FBI agent Richie Dimaso, played by Bradley Cooper. He then enters them into a world of powerful New Jersey brokers and mafia.
Jeremy Renner plays Carmine Polito, a New Jersey political operator who happens to be caught between the con-artists and the federal agents.
Rosenfeld’s wife, Rosalyn, is played by Jennifer Lawrence. With how unpredictable she proves to be throughout the film, Rosalyn has the power to divulge the secrets of the operation and bring it crashing down. Whether she chooses to do so or not, though, is the question.
Perhaps what makes American Hustle unique is that, aside from its hilarity and intriguing plot, it is a character study at large. The lengths to which the characters go to achieve a better life, and by any means possible, is a dramatic, although accurate portrayal of the drive to succeed inside of each and every one of us.
American Hustle is tied with Gravity for receiving the most nominations this year, and rightfully so after winning three of seven Golden Globe nominations, taking top honors at the SAG Awards, and being nominated for 10 British Academy Film Awards.
As of February 21, American Hustle had grossed $144,115,172 at the box office in the United States alone.
The 86th Academy Awards are set to air on ABC Sunday, March 2.
