Wall Street's still Occupied

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2015)

It's the Financial Crisis of 2008, for dummies. Well, you can still call me a dummy. As the film rambles on using investment banker jargon, and shortly stopping to explain to you what all of it means using a whole host of celebrity cameos, my mind was still a jumble.You better believe that this film is one hell of a ride. It's one of the best directed films of the year. Adam McKay, who an absolute comedic genius by reputation, comes out of nowhere with this slam-dunk of a drama. Even when you're lost in it's web of politics, you are still ridiculously entertained by it's style.
McKay, whether or not he is fully successful at it, has made a film that attempts to put one of the most complicated events in American history into terms accessible to the layman. He uses a lot fourth wall breaking, pop culture, and quite an abundance of floating texts to make it so. Scorsese seems to be the biggest influence, and The Wolf of Wall Street, seems to be the template to which this film tells us a side story about this most greediest of streets. Among a colorful cast is some of the best performances of the year by Steve Carell as a feisty, Bernie Sanders-esque ex-banker, and Christian Bale as Michael Burry.. a man worth devoting an entire movie on himself. It looks like a 5-star movie, and yet, something about The Big Short, slightly, falls short.
A lot of people have said that McKay may have been way over his head when it comes to achieving his political message, and yes, I can see that. McKay is a seasoned comic, but he badly wants to be the next Michael Moore. That's kind of a dangerous road to go down, in his case. Because, let's face it, you can't get onto a soapbox, and invite your white, rich, elitist, Hollywood friends to get on with you. Nobody wants to listen to it anymore. Hollywood is not in touch with the rest of the world, and neither are politicians. I don't think I would've been left with this impression had the movie not ended on a self-righteous note. If McKay and the entire cast feel the way they feel about the inequities of the system, maybe they need to put their money where their mouths are, and skip out on the limousine ride to the premiere. Maybe they ought to walk down a lonely LA street and greet a bunch of adoring fans, whom could really be down on their luck.
Does this limit my absolute praise of the picture? Sure. But on all other accounts, The Big Short is an absolutely stunning thing to behold. In many sections, it had me laughing out loud, and clinging to the edge of my seat. I love this style of filmmaking, without a doubt. When any film begins to recognize it's audience, and throws a wink their way, I just love it. McKay has studied well from the Godard handbook he's also studied the ever-living hell out of investment banking. My God, his mind is like a steel trap of banking.