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Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week.

Hustlers
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Cardi B, and Julia Stiles
Synopsis: This latest film comes from writer/director Lorene Scafaria ("Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World"), and is based on a true story. It's about a group of women who worked at strippers at a local club that found a new way to make money of the stockbrokers who came frequently to their club. This, in the wake of the Housing Bubble bursting and sending the economy in a downward spiral. But those who had played a huge part in making it happen still had money, and still had bad habits, and these women found a way to exploit one to take the other from people unlikely to want to make an official report. It all worked well until they hit the wrong guy, let the wrong lady into their circle and soon found themselves facing chargers. While the film chronicles all that from the point-of-view of one of the participants (Wu) sharing her story with a reporter (Stiles) in the aftermath, what this is really about is a friendship between broken people that becomes closer than family. And it's a great dramatic showcase for a number of female leads, but most especially ageless wonder Lopez and Wu. Lopez is fierce in the lead role, and daring. She takes the stage a bears more than her soul in a gritty performance, but she also lights up the screen as the leader of this group. Wu, who had a break out of sorts with "Crazy Rich Asians," does a great job in more of a central role here, too. She's talented and versatile, and doubtless will continue to make big waves on the big screen. This is a movie that, based on plot premise and a mid-September release, might be dismissed. That would be a mistake. It's well crafted and much more engrossing that it might appear on the surface. And it's the story of a friendship forged in difficult times, how it sustained these women and how it all went wrong.
Rating: R for pervasive sexual material, drug content, language and nudity.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, September 20: "Downton Abbey," "Ad Astra," "Rambo: Last Blood"
Friday, September 27: "Abominable"

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