See "inside job" instead

Rating: 5/10 (6 October 2016)

I really wanted (even expected) to love this movie. I'm a big Steve Carrel fan (and I did live his performance in particular, in this movie). But while it had a serious task to tell the story of the subprime mortgage scandal and the complicit involvement of the banksters , and to tell the story in a manner intelligible to the average person, it told the story strangely. The intense performance of Christian Bale seemed oddly misplaced in a story where characters frequently stop and talk candidly with the viewer. The storyline constantly juxtaposes the seriousness of the repercussions, with offhandedly placed humor. It juxtaposes the greed of the banksters with that of the protagonists who are somehow excused for the profit they gleaned as wealth was redistributed to them, while others lost homes and jobs. And, indeed, as one reviewer noted here, many lost homes because they bought their homes unwisely, and the taxpayers were left to bail out everyone.
In short, for what I think this film is trying to accomplish, I much more recommend seeing "inside job." It's just a far better, straightforward film.