The Hustle (2019)

The Hustle is the kind of glossy, Riviera-set caper that wins you over on sheer performance electricity: Anne Hathaway plays high-class mischief like a precision instrument, while Rebel Wilson barrels in with scrappy, chaotic confidence, and the movie’s best laughs come from watching their styles collide. It’s a breezy, brightly lit comedy-crime confection where the fun isn’t in “will they pull it off,” but in how shamelessly inventive and competitive the cons become, with a playful, cartoonish tone that never asks to be taken too seriously. Chris Addison keeps the pace snappy and the vibe light, letting the stars commit hard to the bit even when the material is knowingly silly. If you’re allergic to crude jokes or want the deeper charm of the older classic, it may not be your thing—but if you’re on the fence and just want an energetic, watchable romp powered by two game leads, this one delivers.

The Hustle is clearly trying to be a glossy, gender-flipped Riviera caper with two big comedic personalities bouncing off each other and a light crime plot you can watch on autopilot. The problem is the movie leans hard on familiar con-artist beats and broad slapstick, so a lot of the jokes feel forced rather than sharp, and the story rarely surprises if you’ve seen the original or anything like it. Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway are committed and occasionally land a moment, but their chemistry doesn’t consistently spark, and the “empowerment” angle can come off more like a marketing hook than a genuinely clever twist. If you want witty, intricate scam comedy, you’ll likely be bored; if you just want a breezy, mildly raunchy time-killer with pretty locations and low stakes, it might do the job.