{"id":21834,"date":"2019-08-23T16:43:35","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T23:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=21834"},"modified":"2019-08-23T16:44:01","modified_gmt":"2019-08-23T23:44:01","slug":"review-hustle-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2019\/08\/review-hustle-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hustle Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Hustle<\/em><\/strong> is actually an appropriate title as this remake is devoid of any originality or even an attempt at it, merely taking every plot point from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels<\/em>. It was all a lazy cash grab, which most remakes are, but this was far more blatant about it.<\/p>\n

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The Hustle<\/span>
\n(2019)<\/span>
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Genre(s): <\/strong>Comedy, Crime<\/span>
\nUniversal Pictures | PG13 \u2013 94 min. \u2013 $35.99 | August 20, 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 08\/23\/2019 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by: <\/strong>Chris Addison
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Stanley Shapiro & Paul Henning and Dale Launer (story), Stanley Shapiro & Paul Henning and Dale Launer and Jac Schaeffer (screenplay)
\nCast: <\/strong>Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Alex Sharp, Dean Norris, Ingrid Oliver<\/span><\/p>\n
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DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Commentary, Featurettes
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>Blu-ray, DVD
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>2<\/span><\/p>\n
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Audio: <\/strong>English (DTS-HD MA 7.1), French (DTS-HR 7.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 2.39
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH
\nDisc Size: <\/strong>35.31 GB
\nTotal Bitrate: <\/strong>42.72 Mbps
\nCodecs: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/span><\/p>\n
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Universal Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE \u2014 1.75\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Plot Synopsis: <\/strong>Con artist Lawrence Jamieson<\/span> Josephine Chesterfierld (ANNE HATHAWAY) is a longtime resident of a luxurious coastal resort, where he<\/span> she enjoys the fruits of his<\/span> her deceptions — that is, until a competitor, Freddy Benson<\/span> Penny Rust (REBEL WILSON), shows up. When the new guy’s<\/span> girl\u2019s lowbrow tactics impinge on his<\/span> her own work, Jamieson<\/span> Chesterfield resolves to get\u00a0rid of him<\/span> her. Confident of his own duplicitous talents, Jamieson<\/span> Chesterfield, challenges Benson<\/span> Penny to a winner-takes-all competition: whoever swindles their latest mark first can stay, while the other must leave town.<\/p>\n

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Review: <\/strong>I might have to apologize to Paul Feig and his rendition of Ghostbusters<\/em> (2016). As poorly made and unfunny as that movie was, at least it didn\u2019t come across as lazy as this remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels<\/em>: The Hustle<\/em><\/strong>, which is a plot point by plot point version of the 1987 original with very few deviations other than a more modern take, hell I even think Jamieson\u2019s\u2026 I mean Chesterfield\u2019s ocean view home is more or less the same. It\u2019s basically a carbon copy of the original Dirty Rotten Scoundrels<\/em> and the contribution was gender swapping\u00a0 the roles; everything else is literally the same\u2026 including the \u201ctwist\u201d at the end involving Alex Sharp\u2019s character. Now, in fairness, the filmmakers did switch from a character pretending to be in a wheelchair to pretending to be blind. Clever.<\/p>\n

I suppose if you never saw the original this might\u2019ve made for a better viewing, for myself however, and having seen DRS<\/em> only a few months ago, I found myself incredibly bored knowing exactly where the movie was going and more bemused by the recycled jokes. Making matters even worse, the rivalry chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson (who also produced) was basically non-existent. Even by the more fantastical realm of comedy, I really didn\u2019t buy either one of their roles.<\/p>\n

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This has been said before, but more than ever it\u2019s relevant: there is zero reason for The Hustle<\/em><\/strong> to exist. I\u2019m not angry this was made since I was never a huge fan of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels<\/em> (found some of it funny and did like Michael Caine and Steve Martin, and to some extent Lena Headey) but otherwise, I don\u2019t place it on a pedestal as some 1980s classic. And if the filmmakers, this was directed by Chris Addison (feature film debut), had taken the concept and made some changes to the plot itself, as it\u2019s enough to gender swap the roles, that would be one thing, but doing what they did is both appalling and yet also amazing.<\/p>\n

As I said before, if you\u2019ve never seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels <\/em>before, and unlike others I won\u2019t scoff at you for it, then perhaps The Hustle<\/em><\/strong> will be wholly entertaining, for myself I sat through the 90-minute running time, and it feel longer than that, not with contempt but absolute boredom knowing each specific plot point and watching two talented actresses, and yes I do think Rebel Wilson is talented as she actually surprised me with Isn\u2019t it Romantic<\/em>, sharing no chemistry and were utterly unfunny.<\/p>\n

There was potential to do something a bit original. Why couldn\u2019t Wilson\u2019s character be Caine\u2019s granddaughter wanting to follow in his footsteps? There\u2019s some humor there with the clash of generations and a modern world where the art of the steal could\u2019ve led to some fun humor between the two. Nope, let\u2019s do it all the same, add some low-brow humor and just go home and collect the money.<\/p>\n

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Oh, and to note, yes I realize Dirty Rotten Scoundrels<\/em> itself was a remake of a 1964 movie entitled Bedtime Story<\/em>, though having never saw it, I probably enjoyed DRS<\/em> more, and it\u2019s quite possible this new generation will look upon The Hustle<\/em><\/strong> the same way. Whatever, I honestly not mad anymore. Hollywood and its remakes have officially beaten me down\u2026<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 2.75\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This release comes with a slip cover<\/strong> and redemption code for the Digital HD<\/strong> copy. Features are light with an Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> with Director Chris Addison; Hitting the Mark (4:34)<\/u><\/strong> where the filmmakers attempt, and failed, to give a reason for this to exist; Comedy Class (5:50)<\/u><\/strong> is on comedic elements of Hathaway and Wilson of the film; and lastly Con Artists (6:31)<\/u><\/strong> which delves into the behind the scenes aspects such as costumes, etc.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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VIDEO \u2013 4.25\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Universal releases The Hustle<\/em><\/strong> onto Blu-ray presented with a 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and has been given a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture is of course bright in keeping with the light-hearted nature of the movie and detail is sharp throughout, while colors are also vibrant.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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AUDIO \u2013 4.25\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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The movie comes with a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track which could be overkill considering there\u2019s not \u201caction\u201d going on, but still dialogue levels is strong coming via the center channel and the surrounds get some nice usage with ambient noises (like inside a casino) and while this is hardly reference quality or anything, still had a near in-theater experience.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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OVERALL \u2013 2.0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Overall, The Hustle<\/em><\/strong> is actually an appropriate title as this remake is devoid of any originality or even an attempt at it, merely taking every plot point from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels<\/em> and making the same jokes so unfunny. It was all a lazy cash grab, which most remakes are, but this was far more blatant about it. As for the Blu-ray, there are some okay featurettes and a commentary where the director does his best to excuse why this existed, while the video\/audio transfers were both well done.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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