Let it be known that MGM's THE HUSTLE has officially helped us reach pique AVENGERS: ENDGAME tie-in trailer status with the latest promo for Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson's upcoming comedy. While the new trailer doesn't offer much in the way of new footage, it does present the comedic duo as Revengers, an elite pairing of women out to make fools of the men who underestimate the ladies' powers of persuasion. While the Revengers is assuredly a nod to Thor's failed name for his Ragnarok rat pack of heroes, the trailer really lays the Marvel sauce on thick as the text in the trailer turns to dust and is blown off-screen. It's a clever and timely bit of marketing to be sure, though I'm not certain of its relevance beyond giving moviegoers a brief chuckle.
In the film, which serves as a female-led remake of Frank Oz's 1988 comedy DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, Hathaway plays a British con woman who spends her days swindling high-end materials from simple-minded and hormone-driven aristocrats. Meanwhile, Wilson uses her gifts of persuasion to coax club sandwiches and cakes from unsuspecting simpletons. After their fated meeting, both ladies team up to steal from the men who've done them dirty. However, it woud appear that Wilson's character could use a lesson or two in the art of the lie, and this is where Hathaway's seasoned skills come into play. Together, the two target a tech-savvy millionaire, who by the looks of it stands to lose more than his fortune if the women have their way.
Directed by Chris Addison from a screenplay by Stanley Shapiro & Paul Henning and Dale Launer and Jac Schaeffer, THE HUSTLE also stars Tim Blake Nelson (WATCHMEN, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS) and Alex Sharp (TO THE BONE, HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES).
Be sure to catch Hathaway and Wilson as the devious, money-lifting masterminds in theaters beginning on May 10.