The Big Short

Rating: 8/10 (18 April 2020)

The Big Short
"The Big Short", written and directed by Adam McKay, depicts the true story of the 2008 Great Recession, also known as the "Subprime Mortgage Crisis". Going into the film, I hadn't expected it to be anything intellectual. I mean, it was written by the same guy that created "Stepbrothers", "Talledega Nights", "Anchorman", etc. However, "The Big Short" is surprisingly a cohesive, informative film with tons of entertaining moments and techniques.
Originally, in 2006, the crisis occurred due to the mortgage rates plummeting. Many subprime homeowners with high interest rates received loans that were improperly dismissed / ignored by the banks. In turn, many of the corrupted insurance groups bought stocks / maintained CDO's assuming they'd be making great business, but instead lost revenue which essentially created the recession. Only a select few noticed this inevitable crash (Burry, Baum, Geller, Shipley, etc) and decided to short (bet against) the mortgage bonds, causing heads to turn and patronize them. The ending left me disappointed but not surprised. It was a solid message / reality check at how corrupt the system is and how there's nothing we can do about it. I'm not heavily invested into politics but the implications of greed and capitalism were clear.
The Big Short, in my opinion, uses unconventional, yet engaging characters and storytelling very well. Christian Bale and Steve Carrell are highly convincing "outcasts", as well as exceptional performances from Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, and the remaining cast. I also really enjoyed the 4th wall breaks between prominent characters, as well as guest appearances from Margot Robbie, Selena Gomez and Anthony Bourdain.
The camera techniques were probably my favorite aspect to the film. The pan shots, snap-zooms and steadicam shots are identical to shows like "The Office", "Parks and Recreation", "Modern Family", etc. In this sense, "The Big Short" manages to engage the audience in a relatively educational biopic.
The Big Short, to me, is another great biopic that depicts a socioeconomic / financial crash caused by the corrupted system. The film remains grounded and easy to comprehend for simpletons like me. Many will say it's too corny / unorthodox, but I believe the screenwriting benefits the atmosphere/ subject matter well.
7/10