Hustlers: Exotic Dancers’ Crime Caper

Based on a true story, this film is adapted from the June 2018 NY Magazine article "The Hustlers at Scores," written by Jessica Pressler.  The main reason to see it is the great pole dance routine by Jennifer Lopez, but it's an interesting story, with fine acting by Lopez and Constance Wu ("Crazy Rich Asians").  Lorene Scafaria wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Ramona (Lopez) is a great exotic dancer with a big following.  She makes very good money.  Although she can be ruthless, she also has a nurturing side.  A new dancer, Destiny (Wu) starts working at the club and Ramona takes her under her wing, teaching her pole dance moves and other fine points of the exotic dancer business.  Destiny is in the business to make money to support her immigrant grandmother.  (Although not explicitly stated, it appears to me that the exotic dancer's primary mission is to get the customer's d*** hard and his wallet empty!) Everything is going pretty well for Ramona, Destiny, and a couple of their friends – Mercedes (Kiki Palmer) and Annabelle (Lili Reinhart) – until the 2008 recession.  Most of their clients were rich Wall-Street-types, and, when the recession hit, they didn't have the extra cash flow to patronize these clubs nearly as often.  The dancers' income takes a nosedive and things look bleak until Ramona comes up with an ingenious plan that could make them all rich!  The only problem is that it is illegal and immoral.  They decide to forge ahead with the plan, which works great for a while, until it doesn't. In the film, the character representing Pressler (called 'Elizabeth' in the movie) is played by Julia Stiles, who from time to time interviews Ramona and Destiny to get their take on what went down. The movie also has a pretty good soundtrack with a wide variety of genres.  Although primarily a drama, it is often quite funny.  It will work fine as a rental, and I'd wait until then, unless you are a big Lopez or Wu fan. By the way, for those female subscribers bored with Yoga, Pilates, and Zumba, you can get in great shape by taking pole dancing classes!  (It's as good a workout as any.)