"The Hustle" is not as bad as the ratings would have you believe. Is it silly? Yes. Is the plot paper thin? Absolutely. But this movie is set up for the jokes and they delivered the jokes.
Junior (Charlie Murphy) and Freddy (Al Shearer) work for a bug extermination company called Roach Stompers. They have to wear humiliating outfits and worse yet, they have to deal with roaches. The two professed kleptomaniacs got in hot water when they stole ten thousand dollars from a Japanese gang. They couldn't even repay the money because Freddy lost it all while running from said gang. With no conceivable way to pay it back, Freddy decided that bilking honest churchgoers by pretending to be a pastor was the best way to earn the $10k in the week they were given.
There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this comedy. I don't think Charlie Murphy has been given enough credit as a comedian and he certainly wasn't given enough roles. The biggest mistake of this movie was repeating the plot of the Ice Cube movie "First Sunday." It was only one year prior that "First Sunday" was released with the premise of robbing a church. If I had any other criticism it would be the dark-skinned jokes. I don't find them that funny because they perpetuate an ugly stereotype and promote self-hate.
This movie was helped by some familiar faces: John Witherspoon, David Alan Grier, Tiny Lister, and Kym Whitley to name the most well-known. It's sad that of the cast of this movie three have passed away: Charlie Murphy, Tiny Lister, and John Witherspoon.
"The Hustle" is no masterpiece, but it certainly had me laughing, and that's all that I ask for.
Junior (Charlie Murphy) and Freddy (Al Shearer) work for a bug extermination company called Roach Stompers. They have to wear humiliating outfits and worse yet, they have to deal with roaches. The two professed kleptomaniacs got in hot water when they stole ten thousand dollars from a Japanese gang. They couldn't even repay the money because Freddy lost it all while running from said gang. With no conceivable way to pay it back, Freddy decided that bilking honest churchgoers by pretending to be a pastor was the best way to earn the $10k in the week they were given.
There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this comedy. I don't think Charlie Murphy has been given enough credit as a comedian and he certainly wasn't given enough roles. The biggest mistake of this movie was repeating the plot of the Ice Cube movie "First Sunday." It was only one year prior that "First Sunday" was released with the premise of robbing a church. If I had any other criticism it would be the dark-skinned jokes. I don't find them that funny because they perpetuate an ugly stereotype and promote self-hate.
This movie was helped by some familiar faces: John Witherspoon, David Alan Grier, Tiny Lister, and Kym Whitley to name the most well-known. It's sad that of the cast of this movie three have passed away: Charlie Murphy, Tiny Lister, and John Witherspoon.
"The Hustle" is no masterpiece, but it certainly had me laughing, and that's all that I ask for.