This is basically Goodfellas with strippers, and it is sensational. Scafaria directs these women with the same empathy that Scorsese does his gangsters — even punctuating significant story beats with pop music in the same way. And while I typically hate this sort of framing device, hear it works, allowing Destiny to act as our explainer and moral justification.
This could have been a silly soft core movie — which is what the teenage boys who snuck into my theatre obviously expected. But rather than stoop so low, Hustlers goes for broke. It’s an achievement.
Edit: after the movie, my wife quipped: “how old is J Lo? She looks fantastic! Whoever does her Botox deserves an Oscar.” That quip alone was worth the price of admission.