Went to see the movie The Big Short today – an exciting film about the subprime mortgage disaster from 2008… and by exciting, I actually mean it. They managed to make a hilarious and kind of thrilling and fascinating movie about an economic crisis.
Surprisingly, the movie turns the guys who bet against the American economy into the protagonists because they saw the house of cards and were betting against the villains running and gaming the system. Their bet against the system turned into a kind of caper… a caper versus a system so overwhelmingly confident with itself, nobody wanted to look close and admit there was a problem (how could there? everyone else thinks it’s fine). And the more the system didn’t collapse between 2005 and 2007, the more amazing and exciting it gets… and the more you realize the system isn’t just clueless, it’s knowingly corrupt.
But, yeah, the people who should be the shitheels are the lesser of a rotten core of people. These guys are played by Christian Bale (amazing performance as a guy somewhere on the spectrum), Steve Carell (really good at being really angry), Brad Pitt (who produced), Ryan Gosling, and Marisa Tomei among others. Some of those others include celebrities playing themselves in very informative and funny asides where they talk to the audience to explain some of the concepts involved. For example, Margot Robbie in a bath tub explains subprime mortgages (Anthony Bordain and Selena Gomez pop in for some explanations too). The other cast also talk to the camera… including a great moment where two guys explain they didn’t learn about this subprime situation from a packet of info on a table but that was the most expeditious way to tell the movie.
Between the breaking of the 4th wall, the great (if on-the-nose soundtrack), and some great energetic film editing, this is a fast-paced and fascinating movie. One of the best movies of the year. Don’t take the premise of the movie as a reason not to see it – it will make you understand the situation and invest you in it. A remarkable effort.
Score: 88