"The Big Short" shorts out

Rating: 6/10 (17 February 2016)

In 1929, critics said of "Man With a Movie Camera" that the pictures cut away too fast and the mind doesn't have time to focus on any one particular thing. The film was revolutionary, as only spending two or three seconds on a shot is commonplace now, and has been for some time. However, with "The Big Short," I found myself in the mindset of those whom time passed up.
"The Big Short"--the latest film to be green-lit after the success of "The Wolf of Wall Street"--stars a gaggle of big names playing small names. These "small names" foresaw an incoming financial apocalypse and--some of them, at least--decided to profit from it, as one does. It's like if instead of building an ark, Noah had opened an umbrella shop.
This film has many quirks, and after a while--just like with a person--quirks become agitations and agitations become sources of deep, abiding hatred. For instance, the constantly speaking to the camera, which, I'm sure, seemed like a cute idea, comes off as unnecessary, as it's usually used for swing-and-a-miss humor. There's also a series of relentless cutaways to the pop culture events of the time that don't add a single thing. If they were meant to further establish a specific era, it's not needed; it's only been ten years, we remember! If the manic energy present in "The Wolf of Wall Street" was a lightning bolt, the same energy here is like a shoe bomb--aimless and messy.
Nonetheless, there is certain energy present in the film, and while not all of the comedy hits, enough does to make the film a modestly enjoyable romp. Christian Bale--while maybe not the best actor working today--is easily the most consistently entertaining, and I could watch him awkwardly maneuver the subtleties of conversation all day.
Adam McKay, known for making dumb movies for smart people and dumb movies for dumb people, has now make a smart movie for dumb people. That's worth something.