Top 10 Things Hustlers Got Factually Right and Wrong
#10: ATM Arrest
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True One of the most poetic moments in “Hustlers” finds Jennifer Lopez’s Ramona at an ATM where the police corner her. With the jig up, Ramona is given no choice but to let go of the cash she’s holding. A scene so dramatically convenient may sound like a product of the screenwriter, but this is pretty much how matters went down. Samantha Barbash, who inspired the character of Ramona, was indeed arrested in front of her neighborhood’s ATM on June 9, 2014. The cops proceeded to pick up Karina Pascucci, Marsi Rosen, and Roselyn Keo, who are renamed Annabelle, Mercedes, and Destiny, respectively. Just as Destiny and Ramona accuse the other of being the mastermind, Keo and Barbash pointed their fingers at each other in reality.
#9: Ramona Was Always in Charge
False Destiny not only points her finger at Ramona, but also says that she was always in charge. Ramona certainly comes off as the ringleader in “Hustlers” while Destiny is essentially her second-in-command. According to Jessica Pressler, who wrote the article the film is based on, Keo actually played a much more significant role on the business side. She kept their schemes running smoothly and networked with the credit card companies. “I was on the phone with American Express half the time verifying his last four digits of Social, his mother’s maiden name, his last purchases, and their name, and their location, and how much was being charged,” Keo reportedly informed Pressler. Then again, you could argue that Destiny is supposed to be an unreliable narrator.
#8: Ketamine & MDMA Was the Drink of Choice
True To get a leg up on their so-called “clients” in the film, the ladies decide to drug them with a combination of ketamine and MDMA, or ecstasy. This mixture is chosen because men will be more inclined to open their wallets and forget about any poor decisions the next morning. It may be potentially fatal, but Destiny figures that they were probably doing drugs anyway. In real life, the ladies did in fact spike their client’s drinks with a dash of ketamine and MDMA. That being said, Pressler never mentions if Barbash and Keo passed out in the kitchen while trying to perfect the formula. In any case, this was their go-to beverage.
#7: The Plea Deal Fiasco
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False Keo really did accept a plea deal in order to avoid a harsher punishment, just as Destiny does in the film’s third act. That ensuing confrontation between Destiny and Ramona, however, is 100% fiction. This scene proves to be an emotional highlight, as Ramona blows up at Destiny for submitting to the authorities. In reality, this revelation was far less dramatic. Barbash didn’t confront Keo outside of a police station. Keo didn’t even tell her about the plea bargain in person. Barbash found out what Keo had done from another source and subsequently sent her a text reading, “We heard you took a deal. Good luck.” Since this is Hollywood, we can understand why the filmmakers wanted to juice up this plot point a little.
#6: Destiny Going to College & Supporting Her Family
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True While a few details are tweaked, Destiny’s backstory is more or less faithful to Keo’s upbringing. Along with her brother, Keo was abandoned by her parents at a young age and raised by her grandparents. While the brother doesn’t play a significant role in the movie, Destiny is nonetheless accurately portrayed as a dedicated granddaughter doing her best to support an aging grandma. Keo was attending Berkeley College and working as a waitress before a Lace Gentlemen’s Club manager convinced her to enter the stripping business. Like Destiny, Keo also gave up stripping for a while to raise her daughter, who she had with an unreliable boyfriend. Keo ultimately returned to the exotic dance world to provide for her daughter, just as Destiny does.
#5: The Man Who Thought He Could Fly
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False One of the film’s funniest sequences centers on a client who tries jumping from the roof to the pool. He misses and hits the pavement instead, requiring Destiny, Mercedes, and Annabelle to rush him to the hospital. To be fair, this scene isn’t without a kernel of truth. Pressler wrote in her article, “One hedge-fund manager had gotten so wasted he’d bumped his head in his pool and suffered a concussion.” However, the article makes no mention of an emergency trip to the hospital, a close call with a police car, or Keo picking up her daughter in a blood-soaked top afterwards. Even though there was a pool accident, it’s safe to say that most of this sequence is wildly exaggerated.
#4: Outsourcing
True While the film’s four central hustlers are willing to seduce and drug their clients, having intercourse for money is where they draw the line. Since some of their clients are expecting to go all the way, though, the ladies seek out hookers to participate in their scam. Outsourcing really was part of their business model with websites like Backpage and Craigslist providing a gateway into the world of prostitution. Akin to Heidi Fleiss, Keo would give prostitutes the “Pretty Woman” treatment if they required a makeover. Since no alcohol or drugs were to be consumed while working, Keo also taught them how to fake it. As Destiny finds in the film, however, not all of her girls can be so easily trained.
#3: Usher
False Lopez isn’t the only singing sensation in “Hustlers.” Before the stripping business takes a financial nosedive, R&B sensation Usher drops by the club, leaving everyone completely star-struck. And yes, Usher does play himself in the movie, but are there any facts backing his surprise appearance? Pressler’s article does mention that New York City clubs such as Scores did attract “celebrities and athletes,” although she doesn’t name any names. In a 2008 article, former Scores stripper Ruth Fowler mentioned that “All the girls lined up in one long row to dance for Usher.” With that in mind, we can see where Usher’s cameo might’ve stemmed from, but there seems to be no indication that any of the film’s central figures encountered him.
#2: Destiny & Ramona = Kobe & Shaq
True Arguably the movie’s most quotable moment finds Destiny and Ramona debating who’s Kobe Bryant and who’s Shaquille O’Neal in their partnership. It turns out that this exchange was inspired Keo and Barbash’s real-life dynamic. “We were like Kobe and Shaq,” Keo stated in Pressler’s article. “That’s what I always said to Samantha. We were untouchable.” Just as Shaq and Kobe had their fair share of reported squabbles, though, there are plenty of moments that test Destiny and Ramona’s friendship. According to a Vulture article, the friendship between Keo and Barbash wasn’t as “deep” as the movie suggests. Be that as it may, Keo and Barbash still ran their business like they were the hottest players on the court.
#1: Ramona Was a Stripper
False Barbash reportedly isn’t too happy with her character’s representation in “Hustlers.” While she admitted to working as a Scores gentlemen’s club hostess, Barbash told the New York Post that she “was never a stripper” and that “It’s defamation of character.” This statement is contradicted in Pressler’s article, which says that Barbash began dancing at age 19 and was still in the business when she met Keo at Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club almost a decade later. Nevertheless, Barbash allegedly claims that she had given up her dancing days by the time she started hustling. Barbash also asserted that she wasn’t the masterful pole dancer Lopez portrays in the movie. Even if certain liberties were taken, nobody can deny that Lopez commanded the pole like a boss.
