Exploring the uses of a journalist narrator and manufactured conflict in Hustlers, the on-screen adaptation of Jessica Pressler’s ‘The Hustlers at Scores’ article.

Abstract

Jessica Pressler, journalist for New York magazine, bears the unique distinction of inspiring two on-screen adaptations of her journalistic process in producing two separate articles. 'The Hustlers at Scores' (2015) article was recovered from the New York magazine's archives and transcribed into a major Hollywood film, written and directed by Lorene Scafaria. Hustlers (2019) was released into the full bloom of the #MeToo movement, where it slotted neatly into the happening conversations on female narratives and whistle-blowers. The film surprised Jessica Pressler and viewers alike with its inclusion of a journalist character and the research process behind her article. Sandwiched between the scenes of glittering revelry, strip clubs, and mayhem, Hustler's journalist character, Elizabeth, can feel somewhat irritatingly misplaced. This article explores Elizabeth's underappreciated value as an open door through which audiences can welcome the story of the Pressler article, lending particular focus to the film's class and social analyses, the political context in which the film was released, and used of manufactured conflict as a narrational device.