American Hustle, 2 stars

Well, I don't get it. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it got a 93% rating of critics who liked it and was 'riotously funny'. I must have been at a different movie.

The casting and acting are great and increased my rating by 1/2 a star. But for the most part (with the exception of Jerome Renner [The Bourne Legacy] and Robert de Niro [Stardust]), I felt I was watching people act - i.e. they just didn't involve me. Amy Adams (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) showed more range (and body parts) than I've seen. Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) was very good. Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) continues to impress and Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games series) may be the most talented of the group.

But the movie is too long and the story drags. The 70's stuff is fun(ny) to see. As I overheard people next to me say as we were leaving "There goes two hours I'll never get back." Too bad.