Hustlers

In the comedy-drama thriller Hustlers, a group of strippers decide to improve their financial situation by scheming to get their hands on the money of the rich men who patronize their establishment. Destiny is a newbie stripper in an upscale gentlemen's club. She learns the ropes of the business from Ramona, a veteran dancer. Together, the pair make a handsome living. But when a financial downturn makes the club's patrons less generous with their money, the women find themselves out of work. Destiny, Ramona, and two other dancers develop a new plan. Their plan involves meeting men in bars, drugging them, and then taking them to a strip club. At the club, they run up huge charges on the men's credit cards. The hustle works very well, and the women soon find themselves raking in large amounts of money. But as the plot begins to draw attention, the women are forced to make changes. The new plan leads them into dangerous situations. The film is based on an article called "The Hustlers at Scores," which was published in New York magazine in 2015. Although based on a true story, the film is significantly fictionalized. It was promoted as a female-centric version of masculine films like Goodfellas or The Wolf of Wall Street. The film opened to mostly positive reviews from critics. It also nominated for many awards during the 2019 awards season. Audiences were less enamored of the film. It was moderately financially successful, earning $156.7 million worldwide.