Featuring an all-star cast led by Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, and telling a true story that is both horrifying and laughable simultaneously,"The Big Short" is extremely smart, all around well-acted, very amusing, and one of the most unique and best films I've seen this year.
Based on the 2010 book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, written by Michael Lewis, the film focuses on the build-up of the housing and credit bubble during the 2000s. It details some of the main people who were directly responsible for said build-up, those who knew that the bubble was eventually going to burst and ultimately profited from the financial crisis of 2007-2010. The film also highlights those who experienced the biggest losses from the market crash, as well as the unique personalities and actions of those closest to the crisis.
The film is directed and co-written by Adam McKay, who many audiences can associate with comedies such as "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Step Brothers" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."
"The Big Short" is the first major film for McKay to direct that doesn't use Will Ferrell as the lead actor, and it features way more dramatic material than his other films. There is still a level of humor present, but it has less jokes and more dry humor or smart or sarcastic comebacks and amusing ways of saying something.
Christian Bale plays Dr. Michael Burry, a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals wearing (while at work), laid back hedge fund manager who first predicts that the market will eventually fail. Steve Carell is Mark Baum, a character based on real life Steve Eisman, a loud-mouthed money manager famous for shorting securitized subprime home mortgages and making a large profit off of the financial crisis. Ryan Gosling plays Jared Vennett, who is based off of Greg Lippmann, a Deutsche Bank trader; Brad Pitt is Ben Rickert, based on Ben Hockett, financial trader and investment advisor. There are a handful of other real characters, all of which make a fortune off of betting that the market would crash and burn.
Aside from Bale, Carell, Gosling, and Pitt, there is a top-notch ensemble of quality actors present in the film. Some of these include Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater, Jeremy Strong, Marisa Tomei, John Magaro, Rafe Spall, Tracy Letts, Finn Wittrock, and a variety of odd cameos, such as Selena Gomez, Margot Robbie, Anthony Bourdain, Max Greenfield, and Karen Gillan. Bale and Carell steal the show, but most everyone plays their part well.
One of the unique, amusing aspects of the film is the way it explains certain financial and business terms. There is a great deal of money talk throughout the film, and while it may often be confusing to some, the movie attempts to explain things more times than not, and usually in a creative way.
For example, when someone is talking about a financial deal and mentions a specific acronym or abbreviation that most people may not know, the film quickly cuts away to a brief scene of actress Margot Robbie in a bathtub, Chef Anthony Bourdain in a kitchen, or singer-actress Selena Gomez at a poker table, where they quickly explain the term to the audience. There are also times when a main actor such as Gosling or Carell will turn and speak directly to the camera, making a side comment or clarifying something.
It quickly becomes apparent that many Americans are being deceived and that the financial market is headed for trouble. It's difficult to watch as you can see both extreme ends of the spectrum – those who are turning hundreds or thousands into millions, and those who are losing everything, such as some of the biggest losses that range from $300 millions to $99 billion, or a $9 billion loss from one trade, which is the single largest loss in history.
"The Big Short" is educational, thought provoking, and eye opening. Coming from someone like myself who knows little about the details of the financial crisis, it is extremely interesting to learn about what happened from this unique interpretation. Certain aspects of the film are clearly over dramatized or exaggerated and perhaps some details completely changed or nonexistent, but as far as storytelling and acting goes, the film couldn't get much better in my opinion.
Similar to author Michael Lewis' other book, Moneyball, which was also adapted into a film that starred Brad Pitt, "The Big Short" tackles a series issue with the utmost care and detail, and here brings together multiple award nominated actors, uses a fast, scattered brained type pace/editing style, and keeps the story intriguing and mind blowing enough to keep audiences more than entertained. Carell and Bale without a doubt deserve acting nods, and the film its own credit come award time.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars.
"The Big Short" is rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity. Running time is 2 hours and 10 minutes.
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Hayden Pittman is a special contributor to WFAA.com and a freelance film critic and entertainment writer out of Dallas. He is a film, TV, and sports enthusiast, and when he is not reviewing movies, Hayden works in film production. As an average, passionate film lover who rarely misses a film, his reviews are simple and straightforward. Don't like what he has to say. Let him know at hpittman87@gmail.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at @HPMoviePitt. Enjoy the movies!
