Nothing Short of Fantastic

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 2016)

Directed by Adam McKay, whose past movies have been straight up comedies, albeit good comedies, I didn't know what to expect when going into this film. I have a good general knowledge of financial terminology and of the housing crisis in general, but after watching this movie, I realize that there was so much I actually didn't know about, or knew but was wrong about. I can see how to many people, much of the information presented in the film is going to fly over their heads because it is a bunch of jargon about numbers and financial situations, but to me it was fascinating.
Adam McKay does a fantastic job adapting Michael Lewis' book to what I believe to be the simplest way to put the information given. Furthermore, he manages to blend a sense of outrage and sorrow for what happened to people with his signature clever and straightforward humor. Furthermore, the sense of outrage is carried on throughout the movie almost as an undercurrent to every joke, like there is some twisted double meaning behind every man and his decisions. This rage is best expressed in Steve Carrel's character who, ironically, needs to go to anger management courses to deal with those feelings. Along with Steve Carrel's character (who in my opinion is the best performance), there are fantastic performances from Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, and even more unknowns like Hamish Linklater.
One of the best things about this film is its very quick-footed pace. It's as though the movie is racing to find out as much as it can before the inevitable crash happens. While other may find this pace annoying and hard to keep up, to me I was so tuned in to everything said that the pace just escalated my enjoyment. The film loses a little steam at the end, but that's only because the tone turns darker and much more serious.
Overall, The Big Short is a very important film, a scathingly funny film that raises awareness about a crisis that most people might only have known at the surface level. It's one of the most enthralling films of the year as well as one of the most entertaining. Expect some awards come Oscar season.