A Film Everyone Should Be Forced to Watch

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2016)

The Big Short (2015)
Adapted from the book by Michael Lewis, The Big Short is the true story of the guys who predicted the eventual crash of the US housing market in the mid 2000's, and if that sounds like the most boring movie you've ever heard of, don't worry, you're dead wrong. Directed by Adam McKay and starring Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell and Brad Pitt, this is one of the funniest and one of the craziest films of the last year, and at the same time, probably the most infuriating film I have ever seen.
One of the best things that this film is able to accomplish, is to break down extremely complicated Wall street jargon and financial principles into everyday language so that everyone can understand them. This is effective for two reasons. Number one; you don't need to be educated on the topic beforehand, which makes this movie accessible to anyone willing to pay attention (and you really do need to pay attention to be able to follow). I have never had an economics lesson in my life, I had no idea what a sub-prime mortgage was, no idea what a credit default swap was, but this movie has a very efficient, funny and direct way of explaining these concepts to the point where I would recommend this flick on pure educational value alone. (Especially if this does NOT interest you.) Number two; it makes it absolutely crystal clear the kind of slimy, disgusting, unconscionable fraud that was taking place right in front of everyone, the kind of criminal activity that went completely unpunished and the blatant outrage that the taxpayers were then asked to pay for the worldwide consequences of those actions. And on top, the film does all of this while being consistently funny throughout its two hour, ten-minute run time.
The Big Short is first and foremost an insane movie. From the way it's directed with documentary-like camera work, narration and the breaking of the fourth wall (talking to the camera), to the risky, yet brilliant premise of mixing such dry subject matter with hilarious satire. Also, bear in mind that the film is technically listed as a drama and although I found it to be very funny, not everyone will. While most of it worked for me I will admit that the purposefully crappy camera- work (we're talking crash zooms, extreme close ups and continual movement of the camera) got to be slightly over the top at certain points and I wish that McKay would've turned it down a notch. However, the craziness is necessary to the story, the fact that this could happen is crazy, that everyone knew what they were doing and did nothing to prevent what was coming is absolutely crazy, and if the film wasn't also crazy I'm not sure it would be possible to tell this story in a way that was entertaining, understandable and historically accurate.
The acting throughout the movie is phenomenal. Christian Bale as usual is great, Ryan Gosling, fantastic, and Steve Carell, probably the best he's ever been. Brad Pitt gets slightly less to do on screen, but he, as well as the many other actors that feature in the film, also does a fine job. (Pitt was also a producer on the project.)
The Big Short is a film that everyone should be forced to watch (yes I really mean forced, just look at what they did to the world, just take a look) it's funny, it's devastating, and the more you think about it, the angrier you'll get. This is a film not just of Paramount Pictures, but of paramount importance.
The Big Short: 9/10