The Big Short

How does one review a movie with the following characteristics? - It’s based on the true story of the largest economic meltdown in planetary history that resulted in millions of lost jobs and foreclosures. - It exposes the greed, ignorance, and callousness of Wall Street and the mortgage industry. - The main characters were in no way involved in creating the global economic crash, but they profited off it. - In the end, the public was left holding the bag and nobody who created the problem was held accountable. Is the acting good? Yes. This is the best role of Steve Carrell’s career, and maybe Ryan Gosling too. The pace is energetic and enthralling, and when they get into the weeds with insider terminology, the movie actually stops to give the viewer metaphors and similes to understand it all. The movie never positions the main characters as heroes either. Christian Bale portrays a very socially awkward man who is just obsessed with numbers. He is the first to see the oncoming apocalypse. His reducing everything to numbers isn’t the heartless greed of Wall Street; it’s just a guy who can’t associate the the world around him. Steve Carrell is an investment banker who has recently had a crisis of conscience and is trying to take on investment opportunities that hurt the establishment. And two other guys are young, hungry kids who want to make a name for themselves and slowly discover the system is rigged. None of them are bad people … but they’re also profiting off an economic Chernobyl, so … yeah, that’s who you’re stuck with. And that may be the biggest issue with the movie. It’s editing can be overly hectic, and there’s some stylized directing that can get distracting, but the biggest challenge this movie faces is that it’s subject matter prevents anybody from being sympathetic. Is it a good watch? Sure. But you’ll come out the other side angry. It is incredibly informative, but when you’re left with impotent rage at the end of it … then what? How does one willingly go into a movie knowing that? How does one recommend a movie like that? How does one review a movie like that? All I can say is, the movie as presented was well done. But man, it makes me want to find the nearest banker and kick him in the balls. With a Cadillac.