Every holiday season reignites the discussion about what unconventional film is actually a perfect Christmas movie, and Hustlers is one of the latest contenders for the title. Based on a true story, Hustlers focuses on the friendship between Ramona (Jennifer Lopez) and Destiny (Constance Wu), a pair of strippers who begin scamming rich men out of thousands to help make ends meet. Released in 2019 and directed by Lorene Scafaria, Hustlers is equal parts comedy, drama, and thriller, but it’s the underlying themes and handful of heartwarming moments that make it an appropriate holiday film.
The debate over what is considered a “Christmas film” rages every December, a seemingly never-ending divide between those who think a movie just has to take place around the holiday (even briefly) to qualify, and those who think a Christmas film has to be a feel-good movie about holiday magic. Die Hard is a popular movie to debate, but it’s far from the only unorthodox film that people claim is a Christmas classic. Although Hustlers, a story about strippers-turned-scammers may not seem like a festive film, it reflects several themes and morals that are common in more conventional holiday movies.
For Ramona and Destiny, the primary motivation behind their actions is wanting to provide for their families. Both have young daughters, and Destiny, who was raised by her grandmother, feels that it is now her turn to care for the older woman. Devastated by the 2008 financial crisis and unable to find work elsewhere, Destiny returns to her former job at a strip club. The club, long past its glory days of hosting Usher (who cameos in the film) makes her feel underpaid and degraded until she reunites with Ramona. Recognizing with her old friend’s need to support her family, Ramona asks her if she wants to join her side hustle, in which she drugs wealthy men and has them max out their credit cards at the club.
Although what they’re doing raises several moral dilemmas over the course of the film, the women in on the scam have genuine affection for each other, and they form a found family. Familial relations - both blood and chosen - are often the centrepiece of Christmas movies, and Hustlers emphasizes the love that Destiny feels for not only her daughter and grandmother, but also Ramona and the other women. The happiest scene in the film is a Christmas celebration where Mercedes (Keke Palmer) refers to them all as a family. The scene is set to “Ragdoll” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, an oddly fitting addition to a soundtrack dominated by club songs and 2000s nostalgia. It’s an essential part of Hustlers, but the moment wouldn’t feel out of place in a cheesy family Christmas movie.
While family is one of the core themes of Hustlers, another one is a theme that also features in many Christmas movies: greed. Ramona concocts the scam after taking note of how a handful of rich men were able to come out of the financial crisis unscathed, while the rest of the country was struggling. They deliberately target these men, knowing that they can excuse the loss of money as a night of embarrassing indulgence - even if they can’t remember it. It’s not until Ramona, in a moment of greed, unintentionally targets a man who isn’t in a position to lose a large amount of money, that the scheme falls apart. Wealthy capitalists such as Mr Potter from It’s A Wonderful Life and Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol have long since been the antagonists of Christmas movies, and while Hustlers may not frame anyone in the film as a villain, the critique of greed and class divide is clear.
In Hustlers’ final minutes, it showcases a supercut of Ramona and Destiny’s friendship and hints at a reconciliation between the two, closing out the film with a sense of hope that is more common in Christmas films than crime dramas. Although it isn’t based around the festive season, it highlights the strengths and weaknesses of humanity that holiday films often focus on. Filled with moments that are both heartbreaking and heartwarming, Hustlers is an underrated gem that deserves a place in the Christmas movie canon.