The Hustle reviews: Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway comedy scores ZERO on Rotten Tomatoes

Starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, the comedy is out in cinemas this weekend.

Directed by Brit comedian Chris Addison, it’s a female-centred remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), which was itself a retelling of Bedtime Story (1964).

The story follows two female con artists who join forces in the south of France to enact payback on men who have wronged women.

Despite some positive buzz following the trailers, a great concept and two irresistible headline stars, the reviews are – at time of writing – unanimously awful.

The Hustle’s initial Rotten Tomatoes score is 0% – meaning none of the reviews can be classed as remotely positive.

At time of writing, only a handful have been published, so it should be noted that the score will likely rise a little as more and more critiques start landing online.

But it’s safe to say that the film is unlikely to go down as a classic for either Hathaway or Wilson.

The Independent, for one, gave just one star out of five – calling it “dismal”.

They said: “The timing here always seems slightly off. The slapstick sequences… are never quite slick enough.

“The verbal interplay isn’t as witty as you might hope either. Smutty jokes about STDs, lesbian cops, drunken Essex girls and chastity belts don’t help.”

For Blu-Ray.com, a score of 3/10 was given – with the bottom line being that the film is “pure, uninspired recycling”.

“The Hustle is an exhausting, humourless slog that will leave you feeling robbed,” said the South China Morning Post.

The Sydney Morning Herald was a little more positive, giving a three-star verdict – but still classified as a “rotten” review by Rotten Tomatoes.

“Melissa McCarthy and Emily Blunt and might have been able to summon up the chutzpah to carry off the odd couple partnership at the centre of The Hustle, but for Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway it’s a struggle,” they said.

“All up, it’s a pretty bloodless exercise without the vital spark that high-wire nonsense needs if it’s to fulfil its sole aim, which is to raise the spirits. If not, why not?”

The Hustle is out tomorrow.