Critics are saying Cardi B shines in Hustlers

The Cardi B- and Jennifer Lopez-starring drama is earning raves at TIFF.

September 09, 2019
Critics are saying Cardi B shines in <i>Hustlers</i> Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Hustlers, the upcoming true-crime film about a group of strippers who scam a handful of Wall Street guys post-GFC, is out September 13th in the US. But the film just had its official premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and critics are already saying that the Lorene Scafaria-directed film’s cast — Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Lizzo, and Cardi B — is its strongest asset. And while the lion’s share of the praise has gone towards J-Lo (do a Twitter search for ‘Hustlers’ to see just how many people think she deserves an Oscar) many critics are noting just how good Cardi is in her first significant film role.

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“Boy, does [Cardi] own the screen when she’s on,” writes the New York Post’s Sara Stewart in her review, “Exuding some early-career Rosie Perez dialogue energy.” On Twitter, culture journalist and podcaster Ira Madison III wrote “Cardi is a natural talent.” And over at Thrillist, critic Esther Zuckerman wrote that the rapper is “just as fun to watch as you might expect,” despite the fact that “she’s sort of playing herself.” In a side-note of its review, The Hollywood Reporter notes that "it's a delight to see Cardi B and Lizzo play variations on their public and artistic personas." In general, Hustlers is getting raves; it’s currently holding a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews. It’s out this week; watch the trailer here.

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Critics are saying Cardi B shines in Hustlers