"Truth is like poetry. And most people f**king hate poetry."

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2016)

The Big Short is directed by Adam McKay and stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt.
A noticeable 'bubble' underneath the US housing market has been realised by Michael Burry. He believes that in the next few years this bubble will burst. The Big Short tells the story of the guys that decide to take on the banks for their greed and lack of foresight.
Most people hate these types of movies. They say they're all a bunch of gibberish and that they're boring. Adam McKay has done something great here, he's done something like Scorsese did with The Wolf Of Wall Street. He made it tragically funny. It's obvious that he was going to bring some comedic value to the table after his previous work with Will Ferrell. I only ever found Step Brothers funny, though. I felt with the others he tried too hard. That's probably due to my distaste in Ferrell's work, however. So I'm happy to finally say that there's another Adam McKay film that I actually like. This is brilliant.
The screenplay is written with seriousness in mind, yet playful when the mood gets too heavy. The casting is perfect. Christian Bale acts as a strange and confusing businessman who has trouble communicating face-to-face. Ryan Gosling breaks the 4th wall to keep the audience engaged and up to speed. In fact, many of the characters do from time to time. McKay decided to bring in actors such as Margot Robbie to explain what is happening, as a means to prove that these businessmen just use technical terms to seem like they are the only ones who can do their job. Selena Gomez appeared as one of the many cameos in this film, and she was surprisingly good. Brad Pitt was great as Ben Rickert, who lives away from it all and grows his own vegetables. He likes to talk about it a lot. These main characters are all brilliant, but there's some charm in the supporting cast, too. John Magaro brings an undeniably strong performance to the film and shines whenever he appears on screen. Finn Wittrock, too. They both share some notable chemistry.
Music by Nicholas Britell is pretty good. I felt it only really aided the film in the final act, nothing stood out to me before that point. There were some nice piano melodies, however.
I'd like to comment on the editing of this film. I thought it was handled really well. It felt loose and choppy, but not in a bad way. I actually found it entertaining to watch, along with the sounds that were used, especially in scenes with Bale as Burry. Very quick and disjointed but not distracting or jolting. Barry Ackroyd shot a lot of the scenes of dialogue with close, intimate angles. Very personal and unique. The whole film is shot like a documentary, with the sharp zooming and characters talking to the audience. I love this kind of filmmaking. It feels like you're in the room and part of the conversation. Engaging work.
My verdict; The Big Short is one of those films that just work. The last time I enjoyed a film in this genre was back in 2013, with The Wolf Of Wall Street. So far I'm very happy with how the year has started. Many great films are being made and fortunately being recognised by critics and award organisations alike. Let's hope The Big Short continues with its spree of wins.
The Big Short, 9/10.