‘American Hustle’: The David O. Russell movie that led to a lawsuit
David O. Russell, the acclaimed filmmaker known for his distinctive storytelling, has not been a stranger to controversy throughout his career. From reported on-set altercations to creative disputes, the director of Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter has navigated several PR storms. However, one lawsuit, in particular, stands out for revolving not around Russell’s behaviour but rather the content of one of his films.
The film in question was American Hustle, the 2013 crime dramedy loosely based on the FBI’s ABSCAM operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The star-studded film, featuring the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, drew praise for its vibrant performances and intelligent screenplay – but one line in the script led to unexpected legal troubles.
The issue arose from a scene where Jennifer Lawrence’s character claims that microwaves sap the nutrition from food. She asserts, “It’s not bullshit. I read it in an article. Look, by Paul Brodeur.” This offhand comment sparked a $1million defamation lawsuit by the real Paul Brodeur, a former staff writer at The New Yorker.
Brodeur argued that the Oscar-nominated film had tarnished his reputation by inaccurately attributing him as the source of such a claim. Despite objections that viewers would comprehend the movie as a screwball comedy, in which Lawrence’s character’s statements could hardly be taken as factual, the lawsuit surprisingly gained traction in April 2015 and subsequently went on appeal.
To support the lawsuit, the court had to establish that the complained-about activity was aimed at speech on a matter of public interest. The court recognised that American Hustle was evoking an era in a “farcical” manner, and the microwave oven scene tapped into a public interest issue of the 1970s. At that time, Brodeur was a known figure writing about the health hazards of electrical devices.
In the end, the court sided with the film’s producers, stating that the comment in the movie couldn’t reasonably be considered defamatory. The court’s statement was this: “American Hustle is, after all, a farce. The character who utters the allegedly defamatory statement is portrayed throughout the movie as ‘slightly unhinged’ and a ‘font of misinformation.'”
As controversies fade into trivia, one can’t help but speculate about Russell’s upcoming film, Super Toys, starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Keke Palmer, set in the 1970s world of toy sales representation. Given the director’s history, it might be only a matter of time before the film finds its own legal hurdles — only time will tell if Russell’s creative storytelling will once again lead to off-screen dramas.
