So, how does the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels of 1988 compare with femme remake The Hustle in 2019?
That’s the thing. One is a tight, lovely little tale. The other is a sad ripoff.
The Hustle might seem fresh if you’ve never seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin and Michael Cain. But for anyone who has enjoyed this great con tale, The Hustle is a shock to the system. The Hustle took Scoundrels note by note, gender flipped it with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, removed most of the charm, and called it a wrap.
The World’s Most Indispensable Movie App
The RunPee app tells you the best times to
run & pee during a movie
so you don't miss the best scenes.
Download the RunPee app.
100% free (donation supported)
There are remakes that work. There are re-imaginings that surpass the original. And then there is THIS mess.
The Hustle is the exact same movie as Scoundrels with a weaker plot, less accomplished actors, and an irksome roteness. It’s like they wrote the script for The Hustle with a checklist from Scoundrels: the first scene features a priceless diamond bracelet as part of a scam — check. The grifter low-rent con worms her way into the classy con’s life, an early train sequence, a corrupt cop on the payroll — checkity. There’s the same bet about who has to leave town…the hapless mark is a sweet young thing that comes between their greed and a grudging compassion….checkcheckcheck.
And Ruprecht becomes Hortenze…okkkkay? Sorry, Wilson, but Martin did it better. His fool was cool, and yours hurts the senses.
Then there’s the ending. Holy hell. It retroactively cheapens the payoff in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to have it be Exactly. The. Same. Thing.
Why not just call it Dirty Rotten Scoundrels outright if they can’t be bothered to change the script? Ghostbusters did just that in 2016, but at least they bothered to write a new story.
Who got conned in the end? We did. Movie tickets aren’t exactly cheap.
Please don’t encourage the producers of The Hustle. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is available entirely free on You Tube, and remains a polished jewel. The Hustle is a polished turd…which is still a turd, after all.
What people are saying
about the RunPee app.
Single best investment
By and far best investment Ive made. I used to drive my husband nuts because Id be a fidgeting mess the last half hour of the movie trying not to miss important parts. Now I just turn this app on and *bam* I can actually focus on the movie the whole time. Even puts alerts to my watch so even better. Also I can guarentee all the 5 reviews arent fake as one person accused – its just that so many of us movie-goers had the same problem and this fixed it. Yes, it is paid but jeeze its expensive to keep watching movies and updating an app for every movie. And if you read more about the creator he mentions he has several people contributing – so yeah its paid but omg worth every cent. 10/10
Developers note: the RunPee app is now, and always will be, 100% free. Donations are optional.
View all reviews
Apple App Store | Google Play Store
Download RunPee app
Don’t miss your favorite movie moments because you have to pee or need a snack. Use the RunPee app (Androidor iPhone) when you go to the movies. We have Peetimes for all wide release films every week, including Wicked, Gladiator II, Red One, The Wild Robot and coming soon Moana 2, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Kraven the Hunter, Mufasa: The Lion King and many others. We have literally thousands of Peetimes—from classic movies through today’s blockbusters. You can also keep up with movie news and reviews on our blog, or by following us on Twitter @RunPee. If there’s a new film out there, we’ve got your bladder covered.
Leave a Reply