Former New York City-based stripper Dorothy is invited for an interview with Elizabeth, a journalist working on a story involving her old friend and mentor, Ramona Vega.
In 2007, Dorothy, known by her stripper name as Destiny, is working at a strip club to support her grandmother but is continually frustrated by her inability to attract paying clients. After watching Ramona's very popular performance, Dorothy goes to meet with Ramona and they hit it off, with Ramona taking Destiny under her wing and teaching her how to recognize the three different types of customers. The first type are insecure men who don't spend much but can be strung along for weeks or even months, and the second type are regulars that visit the club frequently. The third type includes the CEOs, bankers, and hedge funders ready to spend thousands for a good night. Together, the two form a formidable team, with Dorothy using her newly acquired increased wealth to purchase her own apartment and feed her shopping addiction.
A year later, the financial crisis strikes, and both Dorothy and Ramona find themselves without enough clients to support their lifestyles. Dorothy's boyfriend abandons her and her infant daughter, and she is unable to find a new job due to her lack of experience.
With no other options, Dorothy goes back to stripping only to find that her old club is now populated by customers who demand sex, a line she is unwilling to cross. Ramona then introduces her to a scheme involving her two proteges, Mercedes and Annabelle: targeting rich men at bars, getting them drunk, and then escorting them to the club where the girls steal their credit card numbers and charge them to their limit. Dorothy joins in, and learns that Ramona has also been experimenting with a potentially lethal concoction of ketamine and MDMA designed to induce memory loss while also impairing their judgment and sense of restraint.
Dorothy argues that while drugging the men may be unpleasant, none of their victims will be able to endure the shame and humiliation of having to admit to being robbed by strippers, and so they won't ever have to worry about the police getting involved. The scheme is a success at first, but when some of the targets prove to be too aggressive and demanding for Mercedes and Annabelle to handle, Dorothy suggests bringing in other girls, who are carefully trained to avoid drinking or using drugs.
Ramona's partnership with the club allows the group to maximize their profits since the owners are desperate for customers, and for once in her life, Dorothy feels secure. However, cracks start to show in their operation. Other strippers start copying them, and a furious Ramona cuts her business ties with the club, deciding that the group shouldn't have to split their earnings when they can just service their clients in hotel rooms or their own homes.
The girls become increasingly unreliable, so Ramona starts bringing in strippers with drug problems and/or prior convictions to replace them, something Dorothy feels is extremely risky. Dorothy's fears prove true when a client nearly dies and she is forced to take him to the hospital herself while Ramona bails out one of her girls, Dawn, from jail. When Dorothy returns home later that day, she finds her grandmother has died from neglect. At her funeral, Ramona promises to take care of her from now on.
In 2014, Dorothy becomes uncomfortable when Elizabeth insists on talking about Ramona and stops the interview, telling her to leave. When Elizabeth returns home, Dorothy calls her and agrees to finish their conversation. Ramona's callousness drives a wedge between her and Dorothy, who finds that she can no longer justify her crimes. Dawn is picked up by the police and rats on her partners, while investigators manage to locate several victims and identify all of the girls. Destiny, Ramona, Annabelle, and Mercedes are arrested, but only Dorothy winds up taking a plea deal. Ramona manages to avoid jail time, while the others serve short sentences before being released on probation.
In 2015, Elizabeth goes to see Ramona, who is now working a retail job, and she muses that Destiny was the only person she trusted to have her back, revealing a picture of her friend that she secretly kept along with her most valued possessions. The article is published, and Elizabeth encourages Dorothy to reach out to Ramona and make amends.
#HustlersMovie starring
#JenniferLopez #ConstanceWu #JLo #missjuliastiles #kekepalmer #lilireinhart
#lizzo #iamcardib - in theaters September 13
