Hustlers (2019)

[Creed]

Originally Posted by CelluloidPal

If we can discuss the plot for a minute here, did these Wall Street clients pull a Madoff in them or are they getting even just because? The description isn't quite clear.

Here's the article:

https://www.thecut.com/2015/12/robin...res-c-v-r.html

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by Creed

Here's the article:

https://www.thecut.com/2015/12/robin...res-c-v-r.html

Sounds like these gals are really no better than the dudes they're getting even with.
Are we seriously suppose to be rooting for them?

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by CelluloidPal

Sounds like these gals are really no better than the dudes they're getting even with.
Are we seriously suppose to be rooting for them?

Why does it have to be black and white in the first place? Life rarely is, to be honest.

Now, I have no idea how they will handle the story in the film, obviously. But, my first thought would be to use the story to pain a picture of greed, narcissism, and general lack of moral and ethical concern that not only pervades the characters in the film, but pervades society as a whole.

At least, that would be my take.

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Why does it have to be black and white in the first place? Life rarely is, to be honest.

Now, I have no idea how they will handle the story in the film, obviously. But, my first thought would be to use the story to pain a picture of greed, narcissism, and general lack of moral and ethical concern that not only pervades the characters in the film, but pervades society as a whole.

At least, that would be my take.

That's something I can get behind since I'm fascinated with films about corporate greed or greed, in general. But, I think will happen is that it will get turned into some largely fictionalized empowerment story. This is based on the description I read. Hopefully, this will be something more and be the movie you're thinking of.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by CelluloidPal

That's something I can get behind since I'm fascinated with films about corporate greed or greed, in general. But, I think will happen is that it will get turned into some largely fictionalized empowerment story. This is based on the description I read. Hopefully, this will be something more and be the movie you're thinking of.

Thanks.

And remember when this is set (assuming they keep the same timeframe as the actual events). If you walked up to an average American in the aftermath of the 2008 disaster and said, "These strippers stole all this money from a bunch of Wall Street guys. How do you feel about that?" The answer you would most likely get is, "Good for them. You go girls! Those bastards deserved it. They took my house, I lost my job, my kid can't go to college anymore ...." Etc.

People were SERIOUSLY PISSED! People's 401k accounts had fallen basically apart, people had lost their pensions, their homes, everything. If a bunch of gals that, honestly, just a few years earlier they would have viewed as "dirty sluts" stole money from a bunch of Wall Streeters that these average people blamed (mostly rightly, to be honest) for all their present problems, then good. That was the attitude at the time, as I'm sure you'll remember.

But yeah, I think it would be much better to tell it as a story of how the Wall Street brand of financial crime, moral sociopathy, and complete greed and narcissism had "infected" many around them, including these girls. The strippers had become just as bad as those they were ripping off because SOCIETY itself had just become this cess pool.

Like I said, that would be my take. Then again, I'm not a writer. So what do I know?

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Thanks.

And remember when this is set (assuming they keep the same timeframe as the actual events). If you walked up to an average American in the aftermath of the 2008 disaster and said, "These strippers stole all this money from a bunch of Wall Street guys. How do you feel about that?" The answer you would most likely get is, "Good for them. You go girls! Those bastards deserved it. They took my house, I lost my job, my kid can't go to college anymore ...." Etc.

People were SERIOUSLY PISSED! People's 401k accounts had fallen basically apart, people had lost their pensions, their homes, everything. If a bunch of gals that, honestly, just a few years earlier they would have viewed as "dirty sluts" stole money from a bunch of Wall Streeters that these average people blamed (mostly rightly, to be honest) for all their present problems, then good. That was the attitude at the time, as I'm sure you'll remember.

But yeah, I think it would be much better to tell it as a story of how the Wall Street brand of financial crime, moral sociopathy, and complete greed and narcissism had "infected" many around them, including these girls. The strippers had become just as bad as those they were ripping off because SOCIETY itself had just become this cess pool.

Like I said, that would be my take. Then again, I'm not a writer. So what do I know?

Good point. I do remember that moment in time all too well. Also, things got even more hairy when the stories of Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme broke because he ripped off the rich and the average citizen and the latter had zero sympathy for the rich victims.

Perhaps, this story can also be featured on an episode of American Greed.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by CelluloidPal

Good point. I do remember that moment in time all too well. Also, things got even more hairy when the stories of Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme broke because he ripped off the rich and the average citizen and the latter had zero sympathy for the rich victims.

Perhaps, this story can also be featured on an episode of American Greed.

Honestly, the only real thing that saved me at the time was a few of the positions I held that didn't really feel the effects of the crash. Even Apple, my main position, which took quite the hit back then eventually held on and was amazing in the following years. Yeah, it sort of fell off a bit in the past couple of years, but it's climbing back beautifully. So, those of us who had that opportunity to invest on our own were in at least so-so shape.

Your average person/investor? Not so much. And it was also much harder then, of course, if you still had a mortgage. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Those who have, they have the opportunity to survive harsh times. Those who don't, they are basically screwed. It's tough, obviously, when you don't have the resources to swim through tough waters.

Hopefully this film will be about that, too. A bunch of lower class strippers/pros/whatever just decided, "Screw it. Why should we get ****ed over, when these guys have everything?!" In a way, even though it's horrible what they did, it's also sort of funny. Imagine some jack-*** who graduated Yale, works on Wall Street, drives a Jaguar, blah blah blah, getting held over a barrel by some stripper with barely a HS education (if even) from Queens. I have to admit, it makes me laugh.

The world is a funny place.

Anyways, I could go on about economic inequality and how screwed up our system is for pages and pages and pages. But I won't for two reasons:

1) I don't want to get banned for getting too political.

2) It doesn't really, as far as we know now anyways, have anything to do with the movie.