Complicated

Rating: 8/10 (14 February 2016)

The Big Short uses comedy to try to explain the credit default swap fiasco which culminated in the mortgage crisis of 2008. Christian Bale is excellent as the real life hedge fund manager who besides being a doctor is a wizard of Wall Street. Dr. Berry figured out years before the collapse that the mortgage industry was mostly fraudulent and being covered up by the big banks and the bond rating agencies. He figured out a way to bet that the bubble would burst, and he was correct. It can be a bit difficult to follow, but writer-director McKay uses cameos by Selena Gomez and a world famous chef to explain some of the esoteric financial terms. The cast, led by Bale, and reinforced by the always good Steve Carrell and Melissa Leo, is uniformly excellent. The topic is interesting and by the end of the movie, you will be infuriated by a completely corrupt political and financial system.