Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you’ve probably heard of “Hustlers”. “Hustlers” is a movie that features two Bronx-native, Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B. In addition, it features Constance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, as well as many others. The movie was directed by Lorene Scafaria. But, unlike many movies, this one is based on a true story that took place right here in New York City not that long ago. It was inspired by an article, “The Hustlers at Scores” written by Jessica Pressler that was published back in 2015 in New York Magazine. Within its opening weekend, it managed to make over $33.2 million.
The movie is about a group of strippers, all who worked at a club in Manhattan, who drugged and stole thousands of dollars from their various Wall Street banker clients. With the 2008 recession taking place, J.Lo’s character, Ramona, and Constance Wu character, Destiny, find themselves making less cash. As a result, they create a plan to steal money from their own clients to try to make a living.
Throughout the movie, you notice a strong bond form between Ramona and Destiny. It becomes apparent that Destiny starts to view Ramona as a role model and follows what she does. Once the recession hit they started to notice they weren’t necessarily making the same as before, and Ramona felt that it was unjust that their clients who are Wall Street bankers are living their life, while many others are facing the challenge of having to meet ends needs. As a result, she comes up with the plan to steal only from the people that are responsible for the recession. Although, everything at the starts seems to go the way they want it to until the clients begin to report the crimes. Once one of them was caught, it wasn’t long before everyone else got caught too. Destiny was the first one to take a plea deal before anyone else and never talked to Ramona after taking it.
Unlike the preview, something that might come to surprise many about the movie is that in addition to the action and drama, you also come across the strong alliance among these female characters. They all knew the struggle that they were facing and had each other’s back, they also would help each other improve in their work.
When you go watch this movie, be prepared for the emotional roller coaster you’re going to face. It is fascinating to know that this movie was shot right here in our very own Queens and many were unaware of it. The castings were made for these actors, some were born for their roles, while others you would have never pictured them playing it. All I must say is grab your popcorn and drink and go to your nearest movie theatre. Go watch this movie, you will not be disappointed!