Apparently the original draft for this script was a lot more historically accurate - it's based on the Abscam scandal of the late 70s/early 80s which I admit I'd never heard about before - but then David O. Russell got his hands on it and he fictionalised things and shook it up.
Was it the right decision? I haven't read the original so I couldn't say. Certainly this could have done with a bit (actually make that a lot) of trimming and sharper focused; a lot of the scenes felt improvised, which may have been creatively satisfying but often makes for repetitive dialogue.
But it's got plenty of colour and character - I was never sure of where it was going or what it was doing, which occasionally irritated but on the whole was a positive. The cast throw themselves into it - every dress Amy Adams wore lacked a bra (whose choice was that, I wonder?), Christian Bale got past his fake gut and hairpiece to find unlikely humanity in a con man, Bradley Cooper had energy and spunk as the FBI agent, Jeremy Remmer was perhaps the most likeable character in the whole story, and Jennifer Lawrence was amazingly good (if, as in Silver Linings Playbook, she felt too young)
Overlong, overpraised but good fun with some excellent actors and costumes.
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