While scrolling through the internet trying to find movie times for Avengers: Endgame, a trailer for a different movie, The Hustle, caught my eye. In this age of reboots and remakes, it’s rare to find a movie that is fresh and new. As I laughed my way through the trailer, I found myself wanting to know more, so I did some research.
The movie stars Anne Hathaway as Josephine Chesterfield and Rebel Wilson as Penney Rust, a duo of con artists who make a living fleecing men who have wronged women. Chesterfield is the more high-end of the two. She is British, cultured, and very meticulous. Rust, however, is the complete opposite. She is a loud, flamboyant, boisterous Aussie. Think “bull in a china closet,” and you will get the idea.
Rust wishes to learn some of Chesterfield’s skills, so she asks to become her protegé. The two team up and the hilarity ensues. One pearl of wisdom that Chesterfield passes on concerns the reason women make better con artists than men: “No man will ever believe that a woman is smarter than he is.” Hathaway and Wilson appear to have amazing chemistry and fantastic comedic timing. I have high hopes for this one.
So imagine my surprise when my research yielded that The Hustle is actually a remake! It is the gender-swapping version of the 1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. In fact, Scoundrels itself was also a remake. It’s a retelling of the 1964 movie Bedtime Story that starred David Niven, Marlon Brando, and Shirley Jones.
Despite technically falling into reboot territory, The Hustle appears to tell an old story in a fresh, new way. It is directed by Chris Addison (The Patriot and director of Veep) and co-produced by Rebel Wilson herself.
Look for it in theaters May 10. And watch the hilarious trailer below.