Within first ten minutes of American Hustle, I knew exactly what was going to happen, but still enjoyed the spectacle and execution. Christian Bale takes Tom Cruise (think Tropic Thunder) to school and once again, completely disappears as Irving Rosenfeld, the anti-hero in a crime drama that is really camouflage for the real purpose of the film: how to live the dream without destroying it or how not to be Icarus. I can simultaneously enjoy a movie while giving side eye to a film that basically looks at con artists, mobsters and Tammany Hall politicians as rascals and reserves its disapproval for those who want to break up the party. The real villain is the enforcement arm of the government. David O. Russell seems to have an independent film sensibility (film structure, commitment to quality acting & atmosphere) with a mainstream gravitational pull that yearns for no long term negative consequences and happy endings. Russell tells enjoyable adult fairy tales such as Silver Linings Playbook. While Amy Adams plays against type (hyper sexual, but actually monogamous if you examine her character and not her appearance), Jennifer Lawrence steals the show with sheer reckless abandon into her character. While she does not disappear like great actresses such as Meryl Streep, Lawrence has a John Cusack gift of authentic, unhinged emotional portrayals that completely embrace the heart of the character and erase any physical limitations that she may bring to the role. Whereever Bradley Cooper is, a certain renown actor generally follows–they love each other. I won’t ruin the surprise because the actor is uncredited, but hint: they were in two movies before this one! An enjoyable period piece tragic flecked comedy, but not required viewing.