“Never Con a Con Artist”

“Hotshots” looks at a movie!

American Hustle is so good that don’t be surprised if during some awards ceremony it sweeps an award in all the major categories.

In fact, it is so good that Robert De Niro appears in it as an important character and doesn’t even get listed in the credits.

However, appearing both in the movie and in the credits are Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence, and most if not all of them are going to come out winners during the next awards season.

The movie is based on one of the most stunning scandals and sting operations in the late Seventies, and it begins with a title that says, “Some of this actually happened.”

We are introduced to Irving, who is a con artist with such an elaborate comb-over that he not only combs his long hair over, but also glues it to his bald scalp.

Irving says, “I learned how to survive when I was a kid,” and we see how he broke the law in order to send more customers to his father’s business.

As an adult, however, and even though he owns some legitimate businesses, Irving prefers to make most of his money by charging people a nonrefundable $5,000 fee in order to get them a loan, but then he never comes back with the loan.

Irving’s partner in crime and in love is Sydney, a woman whose dream was to become anyone other than who she was, and her role in the scam is to pretend to be British royalty with bank connections.

Unfortunately, one man they try to con turns out to be Richie, who is an FBI agent with dreams of exposing and bringing down dirty politicians, and when he reveals himself to Irving and Sydney, he promises not to arrest them if they will help him in his own sting operation, which eventually involves a New Jersey mayor who wants to relaunch the casino industry in Atlantic City, a sheik who might provide the money, and mobsters from Miami who might provide the connections.

So, can you see how those involved in the operation might be in over their heads, especially when they are still keeping secrets from each other?

And all this time Irving has been married.

American Hustle is a truly enjoyable comedy.

I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”