Intet er, som det ser ud, i American Hustle, som udover at være afsindigt underholdende og virkelig velspillet også kan læses som et sindsbillede på en kultur, hvor overlevelsen afhænger af evnen til at lade som om.
...one of those comedies in which just about everyone on-screen is funny, from Robert De Niro, spoofing his crime-movie career in an inspired cameo, to Louis C.K., who has a great running gag about an anecdote he’s never allowed to finish.
For all its brashness and big personality, American Hustle is a character study at its core—an exploration of dissatisfaction and drive, and the lengths to which we're willing to go for that elusive thing known as a better life.
...Sydney seems to know who she is, a quality due in large part to the strength of Adams's performance, which injects an unexpected note of reality into the garishly artificial proceedings.