Movies
Movie
Revıews
STARRING
Maggie Smith,
Allen Leech
RATING + TIME
PG; 2 hrs., 1 min.
Downton
Abbey
Hustlers ↑
STARRING
Jennifer Lopez,
Constance Wu
RATING + TIME
R; 1 hr., 50 mins.
JULIAN FELLOWES’
warm PBS crumpet
returns. The screen
may be bigger,
but the decorous
upstairs-downstairs
melodrama still rev-
els in small moments:
the candy-apple
red of a mail truck;
the rolling green of a
manor lawn; the waft
of lavender in the
air as various soapy
subplots work them-
selves into a gentle,
easily resolvable
lather. This time, it’s a
royal visit that sends
Downton into a frenzy
of silver polishing and
social anxiety. Cooks
and butlers scurry,
Michelle Dockery’s
Lady Mary keeps her
internal temperature
set to cucumber,
Dame Maggie Smith’s
Dowager Countess
unleashes her verbal
nunchucks, and all is
right and dreamy with
the Abbey. B —LG
THE MARTINI; THE
Fireman; the Peter
Pan: You will get a
thorough tutorial in
these moves, and
many more, in
Hustlers. But the real
lessons in Lorene
Scafaria’s Lucite-
heeled drama tend to
aim a little deeper—
taking on class,
friendship, ambition ,
and the things people
do when money and
morality meet (or
rather, when they
don’t). Constance Wu
is an aspiring stripper
who goes by Destiny;
Jennifer Lopez is
her champagne-
room mentor. They
bond on and off
the pole, and soon
learn to work the
2008 financial crisis
to their (possibly
criminal) advantage.
Scafaria goes heavy
on montages and
music cues, but the
movie has more than
legs—beneath all the
body glitter, there’s
a smart, beating
heart. B+ —LG
Natalie, this is your first cinematic
trip back to space in a while. Was
Jon a good co-pilot?
NATALIE PORTMAN Jon was great!
Actually, he’s the pilot and Lucy is
his specialist.
Jon’s character, Mark, is kind of an
interstellar f---boy, right?
JON HAMM Yes and no. Mark’s one
of the only people that can ground
Lucy in cosmic reality. For Lucy,
it’s more about “Who do I talk
to?” The part that turns sexual is
about her connecting to him on
another level, because they’re
the only people who [understand
each other].
PORTMAN In him, you see where she
might end up. He’s going for his
second term. He’s further down the
road of her existential crisis, with a
little nihilism. It’s a warning signal,
but she’s drawn to it.
Did you do any bonding activities
to build chemistry?
PORTMAN We had dinner a few
times. We kind of knew each other.
We’re neighbors!
HAMM I always run into Natalie with
her kids, her mom and dad.
PORTMAN My mom thinks Jon
is someone I went to school with
because she recognizes him....
I was also the worst bowler ever.
So that scene where Lucy bowls
terribly is real?
HAMM Natalie’s an adult in a child’s
body. The ball weighs more than her.
PORTMAN It was written that Lucy
does well no matter what, but that
wasn’t possible!
Did you talk to people the film’s
loosely based on?
HAMM Not on my part. We’re telling
a different story. It’s about [Lucy]
processing being systemically dis-
regarded. Why is she passed over?
The answer is: because she’s not
like a bro, and it’s a real “F--- you.”
Why do we have different expecta-
tions for women? We’re all human,
and if we can do the same job, we
should get the same opportunities
and be paid the same. Who gives
a s--- how long your hair is or what
junk’s between your legs?
THE DUO GET THEIR PLANETARY ALIGNMENT ON IN NOAH HAWLEY’S
LUCY IN THE SKY (OCT. 4), A TALE ABOUT AN UNHINGED ASTRONAUT
WHO BECOMES OBSESSED WITH HER CO-WORKER. BY JOEY NOLFI
↓ Says Portman (right, with Jon Hamm): “It’s so unusual to
see a woman have an existential crisis on screen.”
Jon Hamm &
Natalie Portman
For more
J. Lo and
Constance,
go to
ew.com/
hustlers
LUCY IN THE SKY
: HILARY B GAYLE/FOX SEARCHLIGHT;
HUSTLERS
: ALISON COHEN ROSA/STXFILMS;
DOWNTON ABBEY
: JAAP BUITENDIJK/FOCUS FEATURES
