The Big Short

The Big Short

Starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt

Directed by Adam McKay

The Story:
In 2005, hedge fund manager Michael Burry (Christian Bale) noticed that the U.S. housing market was very unstable due to high risk subprime loans, and decides to "short" (bet against) the housing bond market, which the banks readily agree to because they don't see the market tanking.  Meanwhile, Mark Baum (Steve Carell) is an eccentric manager of a Wall Street hedge fund who sets out to screw the corrupt system by joining with bond salesman Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) to short the CDO.  As this is happening, up-and-coming hedge fund founders Charlie (John Magaro) and Jamie (Finn Wittrock) are trying to get their feet in the door, and former JPMorgan Chase trader Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt) takes them under his wing.  As the years pass, they all learn how corrupt the banking system is, and all come to the conclusion that the housing bubble will eventually burst - even if no one else sees it.

The Synopsis:
Director Adam McKay isn't typically known for highly cerebral films ("Anchorman" wasn't exactly an existential tale), so when he directed "The Big Short" it was a film out of his comfort zone, and no one knew how it would end up.  71 award nominations later, and "The Big Short" turned out to be a critical hit that blends humor and drama in a way that keeps you drawn to the story, even if you have no idea what is going on.

A movie about numbers, Wall Street, and the housing market sounds like a total bore, but McKay manages to liven things up by constantly breaking the fourth wall, mostly from the narrator Jared Vennett.  He knew that very few people would understand the complex methods hedge fund managers use to make money, so Jared takes time out to explain in layman's terms what people are talking about.  Selena Gomez, chef Anthony Bourdain, and Hollywood actress Margot Robbie (in a bubble bath) explain what is going on in very humorous, yet also very truthful, down-to-earth ways.

Still, I didn't really have a clue what was going on most of the time, but I was still drawn to the film  because it managed to keep my attention by not having it done in a conventional dramatic fashion, but tying in McKay's self-deprecating humor into it.  It didn't hurt that it also featured Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt as the leads, or the charismatic Finn Wittrock, John Magaro as two lovable newbies that eases us into the story.  Plus there's numerous cameos including Max Greenfield, Billy Magnussen, Melissa Leo,Marisa Tomei and Karen Gillan who all give great performances. 

In the end, even if you don't understand all the technical lingo, there's one thing to take from this true story - big banks are bad.  They earn their riches by taking advantage of common folk and in the end get away scot free by being bailed out by the government. 

The Summary:
Not your typical financial movie, "The Big Short" combines brilliant acting, unique storytelling and a fast-paced tale to keep you intrigued, even if you don't understand most of it.

The Score: A