Since its release on Sept.13, the movie Hustlers has made waves with its unusual premise and diverse cast. The movie follows a group of New York City strippers through the 2008 recession until 2014. A captive audience watches as these women go from living paycheck-to-paycheck to thriving in lifestyles almost as lavish as Wall Street’s finest.
The stars of Hustlers are a group of famous, empowering, talented women. Constance Wu, Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart portray layered, complex characters that undergo a series of both traumatizing and liberating events.
The movie’s plot begins to develop following the events of 2008. At this point in time, strip clubs lost a considerable amount of clientele and the ones who could still afford to spend money were aggressive and degrading. Dealt with this hand of misfortune, the strong ladies of this film decide to quit their jobs as strippers and try to “hustle” the hustlers.
The women bar hop until they find the perfect male candidate to schmooze up and drug, then they max out his credit cards.
These women are far from perfect, and their actions are inexcusable in every sense of the word. Portraying women in such a complex light is a tribute to the achievements of modern feminism.
One inexhaustibly brilliant element of the film is its portrayal of sex work. It normalizes stripping by creating real, developed female stripper characters. These women aren’t objectified—if anything, they objectify rich men, which is in sharp contrast to many of Hollywood’s sexist tropes and acts to powerfully reverse the role of the female gaze.
Hustlers highlights the flaws of its female leads as they act in despicable, criminal ways. Still, the audience is compelled to feel sympathetic for the morally gray hustler group. Simply put, Hustlers asks us to see women as people, because people are never all good or all bad.
The movie also emphasizes what so many hard-working Americans went through during the recession in 2008, and what money can do to anyone. Green is the color of greed—it can control anyone, no matter who has it in their hands.
Bonds are formed over the triumphs and challenges that the hustler girl group undergoes. The friendships between the women of the film are impressively unwavering, unlike those of other box office films that often portray female friendship as fragile and prone to breakage over a man. Strong friendships are the types of female relationships Hollywood needs more of.
An important line to take away from the film is one that perfectly wraps up the theme. Jennifer Lopez’ character says, “This whole country is a strip club. You’ve got people tossing the money, and people doing the dance.” There is always a wheel that keeps on turning; the money gives and takes, and there are those in control and those who pay the price.
A movie like this should ignite a flame. It gives likable characters an unlikable side whose actions aren’t excused in the end. It portrays complex female characters in power, and it normalizes stripping as a serious job.
The first step to solving any problem is realizing that there is one. It’s time to wake up and do more than imagine what it’s like to be free of greed.