There is so much to love about American Hustle: the costumes, the music, the deep V-necks, and the hair that almost takes on a character of its own. Yet, when you put American Hustle amongst the backdrop of this year’s Oscar contenders (even with it’s 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture), it is hard not to feel like it pales in comparison to the rest of the crowd. Undoubtedly, American Hustle is a fun, and incredibly enjoyable film in it’s own right, yet it does not make a very strong case to be considered the best film in the land.

Director David O. Russell has become one of the hottest directors in Hollywood, thanks to his recent Oscar nominated works, The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook. In his latest film, Russell takes on the true story, as playfully explained in the opening credits, of real-life con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and his partner in crime, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams). A naive FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), lures both of them Rosenfeld and Prosser into the crazy and dangerous world of New Jersey politicians, mafia, and powerbrokers.

A story like this and in the hands of someone like David O. Russell, promised to be great, and for the most part, it was. Russell’s directing is on point for most of the 138-minute film. After a great introduction, the film moves along with a slow pace, as the film opens in the middle of hustle. Admittedly, the pacing felt slow for the first quarter of the film, yet I saw this as a plus in the end, causing the audience to be drawn in to every bit of dialogue in order to piece the plot together.

The script by Russell and newcomer Eric Warren Singer is one of the highlights of the film. Witty and always humorous, the writing is very deserving of its Oscar nomination. No line of dialogue is wasted, creating characters that are deeply unique.

As for those characters, everyone delivers a performance that is deserving of his or her Oscar nominations. For Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper, some of their best work is on display. While not necessarily ground breaking or incredibly memorable, the performances are still entertaining, comical, and charming. With such a huge cast headlining the film, the movie features a couple of surprise actors that are definitely a delight, especially one cameo that you’ll just have to witness yourself.

Perhaps where American Hustle shines brightest is in the technical department. The film is nominated for Oscars in Costume Design, Film Editing, and Production Design, and boy does it deserve every one. The costumes are utterly perfect, and the hair is wonder in its own right. The accompanying music creates an atmosphere for this movie that is just impeccable. The only complaint, however, was that the movie didn’t seem as large in scale as I thought it would be. With the exception of a single party scene, there are no big sweeping shots of a vintage Brooklyn skyline or inner-city neighborhoods and while I can appreciate the hard work that did go into creating certain shots, American Hustle just does not seem to be on a scale as large as it led on to be, and that goes for the plot as well.

Despite a slow beginning, once American Hustle gets going, it is often hard to turn away from. Every facet of this movie keeps you engaged throughout. Whether it be the clever and humorous writing, the spot-on costumes, or the music that just leaves you begging for more, this film is definitely one of the year’s best. While in my mind it doesn’t match up with the other Oscar nominated movies, it is definitely something to experience. David O. Russell hits another one out of the park.