Critical response
Rotten tomatoes gave American Hustle what rating?
American Hustle
"American Hustle" received critical acclaim upon its release. The cast received praise for their performances, notably Adams and Lawrence. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 93% rating, based on reviews from 240 critics with an average score of 8.2/10. The site's consensus reads, "Riotously funny and impeccably cast, "American Hustle" compensates for its flaws with unbridled energy and some of David O. Russell's most irrepressibly vibrant direction." Metacritic gives a score of 90/100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on reviews from 47 critics. Christy Lemire awarded the film four out of four stars, praising David O. Russell's directing and the relationship between Irving and Sydney, as well as Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Rosalyn. She writes: "For all its brashness and big personality, "American Hustle" is a character study at its core—an exploration of dissatisfaction and drive, and the lengths to which we're willing to go for that elusive thing known as a better life." Richard Roeper of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film an A+, especially complimenting Bradley Cooper's performance and stating that "American Hustle" was "the best time I've had at the movies all year." He later named it the year's best film. "Time" magazine's Richard Corliss wrote, ""American Hustle" is an urban eruption of flat-out fun — the sharpest, most exhilarating comedy in years. Anyone who says otherwise must be conning you. "Peter Debruge of "Variety" was critical of the film, calling it "a sloppy sprawl of a movie" and complaining that the improvisational performances overwhelm instead of adding to a coherent plot." He also went on to write that it "makes your brain hurt — and worse, overwhelms the already overcomplicated Abscam retelling at the center of the film."