Comedy and the Con

Reviews the film, American Hustle directed by David O. Russell (2013). This film is in many respects an update on the classic con movie, with a pedigree that includes such exemplars as The Sting and The Con Artist, to name just two of many. The con artist has a long history in literature, film, and public consciousness and has been subjected to recent scrutiny by psychologists (Farley, 2012; Hatfield & Rapson, 2011). With an all-star cast, American Hustle is a comedic treatment of the topic, although with occasional dark implications for the kind of fraud and corruption sometimes seen in American politics and government. In this film, just about everyone seems to be a mark or a con artist in one way or another. A centerpiece of the plot is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) getting some certified con artists to work with it in a sting operation to catch elected officials taking bribes. There’s not a lot of significant psychology to explore, and it’s not as aesthetic as The Sting, but for students of fraud, deception, character development, America in the 1970s, and good comedic acting, there are lots of things to enjoy! (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)