[yasr_overall_rating]
Four outsiders in the world of high-finance who predicted the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s decide to take on the big banks for their lack of foresight and greed.
I got a solid C in Economics, and was told during a college interview that because I got a C (despite having A’s & B’s in all other subjects) that I was probably lacking in essential analytical skills that I would desperately need to survive college. Well, news flash, everyone else in my high school Economics class cheated and would probably have gotten C’s or worse if they hadn’t. Thankfully, the other interviewer stopped the swift judgment and flat out called the man ridiculous. To be honest I still don’t know the ins and outs of economics and live by what I’ve been taught my whole life, “You never live beyond your means.” Aside from some egregious student loan debt, I’m doing pretty well living by that life lesson.
In 2008 when the financial crisis reared its ugly head, I had no idea what happened but I could still feel this suffocating impending doom. Sitting at my gloomy cubical desk, at my summer job filing for an insurance brokerage company, all the “adults” seemed more panicked than usual and all I could think was, “Is this going to affect my student loans?” The crisis definitely didn’t help things but I digress. My point is I’m pretty sure some of the clowns represented in Adam McKay’s satirical gem, “The Big Short,” probably got lazy and cheated in their Economics classes too and then made everyone else pay for their buffoonery. In all seriousness though, “The Big Short,” is a must see.
Based on Michael Lewis’ book, “The Big Short,” concentrates on a few guys who were able to see the doom to come and boldly bet against the housing market, while essentially pointing out the chaos and irresponsibility of the major players involved, and also making quite the fortune out of a sordid situation. With a solid cast comprised of Ryan Gosling as Jared Vennett, a slick ultra unlikable banker who also doubles as our story’s narrator, Christian Bale, the socially awkward death metal blaring Michael Burry who is the first to recognize the impending financial crisis, and Steve Carell as Mark Baum, an ardently righteous hedge funder who bears no qualms hitting the big banks where it hurts most. Carell’s performance alone is worth seeing. Much in the same vein as Bennett Miller’s, “Foxcatcher,” Carell is surprising. He keeps us on our toes as Mark Baum, who is obnoxiously rude and combative but also somewhat of a moral silver lining in a dank cloud.
“The Big Short,” is Economics 101: What Not to Do and What Happens When You Do It. It eases us laypeople into the fancy terms and concepts via fourth wall annihilating celebrity cameos. I never knew I needed Margot Robbie, submerged in a bubble bath and sipping champagne, to explain what is meant by “subprime.” But I did, and I’m all the wiser for it. Such methods are riddled throughout the film keeping a brackish topic, entertaining. The film is fast paced, dizzying, you never know where to keep focus, and you don’t care because you keep laughing, even though the reality of the situation is quite real and very dire. By the end of the film you realize there are no real heroes of the story, just a cold shower of reality. Despite the many laughs had you walk out thinking, “Damn that was heavy.”
In theaters December 23rd
