Watching movies: "Hustlers" and the promo problem

It's no secret that promotional spots for movies are not always reliable when it comes to the content of the film itself. Intense dramas may be turned into implied comedies, and vice versa; famous actors in small roles are made large in the trailers, and sometimes scenes shot for trailers have been cut from the actual movie.
The problem with such tactics -- however successful they may be in getting people into theaters -- is that audiences' expectations are based on what they have been told in advance. So, if they are expecting a comedy and do not get it, disappointment may follow. Sure, it's possible to sit down with a movie and put aside all preconceived notions, seeing the film solely on its own terms -- possible but not all that likely. And that does harm to the movie itself, because as much as it may be admirable, an audience expecting something else has to fight disappointment.
All of this applies to Hustlers, the recent drama about women trying to make a living in strip clubs and turning to criminal means to do so. It is indeed a respectable movie, with a good cast and one of the best screen performances Jennifer Lopez has ever given. Just watching the microadjustments in her facial expression -- she can swiftly go from determined to fraudently cheerful to almost feral when dealing with a mark -- is a revelation; the last time she was this mesmerizing was in her previous personal best, Out of Sight.
But promos for the film sold it as an aggressive, music-laden, fast-paced foray into the sleazy clubs, the scheming (mainly by bilking money from customers under the influence) and the celebrations of misdeeds. For promos such as this Hustlers is as much about its music stars such as Cardi B as it is about a real world.
What is actually onscreen is something grimmer, closer to what reporter Jessica Pressler found when researching the scene and the scams; her work is the basis for the script by Lorene Scafaria, who also directed. It's a story with two centers, one being Ramona, Lopez's character, a cynical veteran of the clubs; and Destiny, played by Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians, Fresh Off the Boat), who at least to begin with is still capable of a naive trust in others, even sleazeball patrons. Of course, time and circumstance change her mind and it's her emotional arc that the film follows back and forth through time, as present-day interviews with her break up the chronology of decadence, despair and deceit.
The film is very good at portraying a grimy world where the bright lights, the elaborate costumes and the remarkably athletic performances by the women are contrasted with scuzziness, exploitation and a sense that no one is having fun, not even the customers who are basically less interested in sexiness than in power and domination. In other words, Hustlers is not at all as likely to sell tickets as the more upbeat promotions for it. But it is far more likely to be worth seeing.