"The Big Short"

[mattorama12]

To say that is to ignore what the government did with The Community Reinvestment Act, Dodd-Frank "Affordable" Housing, Clinton's "National Partners in Home Ownership" with Janet Reno threatening banks with litigation if they didn't write what came to be called sub-prime loans, and then Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buying bundles of those loans from them banks. How can you call that "asleep at the wheel"?

Totally fair points, and "asleep at the wheel" was a poor choice of words. I don't really disagree with you, but I do think you're making more of an issue than it deserves. For one, I think you're asking the movie to be something it's not. It's not the story of the mortgage crisis generally. It's the story of these three groups of investors who shorted the market. The reason the bubble grew wasn't really necessary to their story. Also, pointing out government actions that weren't included doesn't mean that the movie "completely ignores" the government's share of responsibility here. Could the movie have included some more background on how it came to be in the first place? Absolutely, but as I mentioned, that's really not what this movie is about. Most of what you've described were things that happened years before the story starts in the movie. There has to be choices made about how much "but why?" you're going to get in to (for example, the movie also ignores decades of financial deregulation thanks to successful Wall Street lobbying). And as a factual matter, you're also ignoring the fact that the vast majority of the subprime mortgages that led to the bursting of the bubble were written in the early 2000s, not in the 90s.

If something is corrupt, we need to call it corrupt.

I'm with you here. It's damn near impossible to imagine such a huge economic failure occurring without vast corruption both inside and outside of government, as I think it's pretty clear was the case here.

Anyway, if I were going to fault the movie on political grounds, it would be this: the movie portrays our three groups of investors as the heroes. But in reality, they were aware of this bubble and didn't do anything to help stop it, and instead decided they'd make money off of it. Not sure if they could have done anything (or if the real life people did try), but it seems like that would have been the more heroic thing to do. Brad Pitt's character voices this notion in one brief scene, but it does seem like that notion is mostly lost throughout the movie.

[Stewball]

And as a factual matter, you're also ignoring the fact that the vast majority of the subprime mortgages that led to the bursting of the bubble were written in the early 2000s, not in the 90s.

No, not ignoring it, just another side to the story that didn't come up what with everything else going on. But since you have.....yes, the bubble started and grew through the early part of the new century, on the watch of the socialists lites, Bush and the Republicans, who sort of mumbled about something about what was going on but little else.

Now, 8 years after the bubble burst, the people are realizing why there was no push-back from the Republicans, establishment crony capitalism with those in power are "working across the aisle" inside the beltway, with the media genuflecting at every opportunity. And I think we have Hillary Clinton to thank for putting the face of a Harpy to that corruption which everybody can recognize. Look who were the biggest winners in NH, two outsiders.

Anyway, if I were going to fault the movie on political grounds, it would be this: the movie portrays our three groups of investors as the heroes. But in reality, they were aware of this bubble and didn't do anything to help stop it, and instead decided they'd make money off of it.

Not sure if they could have done anything (or if the real life people did try), but it seems like that would have been the more heroic thing to do. Brad Pitt's character voices this notion in one brief scene, but it does seem like that notion is mostly lost throughout the movie.

Exactly, what could they have done? The landscape is littered with whistle blowers. And Bush doing next to nothing didn't actually inspire people to come forward. Our only hope now is that the establishment takes it in the craw this election.

[Stewball]

IRL, I thought what happened after the crash was more criminal than what caused the crash. There is no way anyone should get bailed out. For whatever reasons. Ever.

IDK, which is worse, some bully intimidating everybody to "contributing" to his a pile of money, or going to the government to replace it when it catches fire? Sounds like a double dipping felon to me.