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In David O. Russell’s brilliant, frenetic American Hustle, hair is character. The volume and elaborateness of each actor’s hair tells you how far they would go to get what they want; it’s a portent of destiny. This is a movie in which the one normal, sensible character is played by Louis C.K., and he’s bald.

American Hustle is based on the Abscam scandal, a 1970s FBI sting operation, and it opens with Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) doing his hair.

That creature on top of his head is a toupee held in place by a combover, and Irving doesn’t so much glue it on as orchestrate it. Some people put their game face on; Irving cements his hair in place. The fact that he has a combover and a toupee tells you that he’s not only deceiving others, he’s deceiving himself.

Christian Bale’s shape-shifting abilities are well-known, and as Irving he transforms himself into a paunchy, ridiculous, but weirdly seductive man. Not only does he con people into paying him to expedite loans they never get, he also has two luscious women—his wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) and mistress/business partner Sydney/Ethel (Amy Adams)—fighting over him. Irving is a sleazebag, but in Russell’s view he’s not a bad person. He’s hustling to survive like everyone else.

Amy Adams can do anything, and here she plays Sydney, a con artist with big hair and dangerously plunging necklines. Amy, everyone looks terrible in this movie, but disco trash diva is a great look for you. The big hair echoes the ambition and resourcefulness of this former stripper-turned-editorial assistant-turned-fake English aristocrat. She’s not a bad person, either, but the good life is supposed to be the birthright of every American, and she’s collecting on that promise.

FBI Agent Richie DiMaso really has straight hair, but this is the era of Saturday Night Fever and sexy Italians are in. So he puts his hair up in little rollers, and the fake curls match the nervous undercover guy who’s in over his head. Bradley Cooper’s Richie always on the verge of freaking out, and his attempts to consummate his lust for Sydney are hilarious. (The Saturday Night Fever hommage is wonderful.)

Jeremy Renner as Mayor Carmine Polito has a big, shiny pompadour to match his dream of revitalizing Atlantic City. He’s actually a nice guy, but his dream causes him to make rash, stupid choices. In fact all these characters are willfully stupid, which is why you can’t really hate anyone.

Which brings us to the most hilarious character of all, Rosalyn the housewife who won’t give Irving a divorce. The hair piled high on her head with waves going in every direction identifies her as an agent of chaos. Jennifer Lawrence is probably too young to play Rosalyn, but she’s hysterically funny as a passive-aggressive bitch with the knack for getting people into trouble—and the nerve to demand their thanks afterwards. The Lawrence-Adams confrontation at the night club is epic. When Lawrence lip-syncs to ‘Live and Let Die’ while dusting furniture, we fall down laughing.

If you liked Goodfellas and Boogie Nights, you’re going to love this.