For a Few Dollars More

Rating: 8/10 (8 January 2016)

(Rating:☆☆☆ out of 4)
This film is recommended.
In brief: A dark comedy that informs while it cashes in on its serious subject and sees it only for its entertainment possibilities.
GRADE: B
When I first saw the trailer for The Big Short, I thought, "What a depressing and boring topic for a film! What possessed these filmmakers to put all their time and effort into an global event that hurt so many people financially and has them still reeling from its long-lasting effects? Nobody is going to want to see this movie! It will bomb big time!"
￼Well, I was partially right. Despite all of its critical praise, the movie is not breaking records at the box office. The subject of our economic collapse as a nation is more gruesome and messier than any Tarantino blood-fest, far more realistic and deadly. Moviegoers are staying away in droves. But the film is sharp, witty, and informative, that I must admit, so on that count, the filmmakers were absolutely right. The subject needs our attention...and fast! While The Big Short does have some difficult plotting issues that are hard to comprehend, the film succeeds with its imaginative retelling of the financial meltdown of the world market.
Swaps, synthetic stock options, CDO equity...it's like speaking a foreign language, and I must admit, I still don't understand most of the economic jargon, even after the film tries to dumb down the financial rhetoric in the cleverest of ways by using celebrities to simplify the actions on the screen. Appearances by Margot Robbie discussing stock trading in a bubble bath, Anthony Bourdain cooking day-old leftovers, and Selena Gomez at the gambling tables of Vegas are wonderful parodies that help explain the global crisis that befell us in 2008. (I wish these smart distracting "short" infomercials were used more often throughout the film as the topic of stock market trading is a dry discussion point.)
￼Solidly directed by Adam McKay, The Big Short takes its serious theme and analyzes the repercussions of the "Greed is good" mentality that permeated Wall Street then (and now) by focusing on four central players and their roles in masterminding this international Ponzi scheme.
The casting of this quartet of stockbrokers is marvelous. Christian Bale plays Michael Burry, a frantic man-child genius, better equipped to deal with numbers than people. Ryan Gosling is Jared Vennett, a slick money broker who discovers the housing market bubble to his advantage. Brad Pitt adds more interest as Ben Rickert, a jaded former stock broker who distrusts banks and businesses. Especially effective is Steve Carell. The actor portrays a fictional Mark Blum, and walks the fine dramatic line between anger and guilt in his skillful interpretation of one of the few businessmen with a conscience. Fine supporting performances are given by Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Hamish Linklater, Rafe Spall, and Jeremy Strong in smaller but pivotal roles.
￼Special mention goes out to the rapid-fire editing by Hank Corwin, whose quick cuts of images add a stylish pop quality to the proceedings and an intelligent screenplay by Charles Randolph and the director establishes its despicable well drawn characters and makes them surprisingly compelling and likable. Everyone of these corporate high rollers is in it for the money and makes a profit on everyone else's misery and financial downfall, but we moviegoers are caught up in their illegal shell game, a plan that doomed the housing market and crippled the banks and mortgage companies worldwide.
￼The Big Short is well made and compelling, although its script still was unable to clearly elaborate the complexities of its topic. The film settles for the smaller picture, a behind-the- scenes look at the traders and their game, rather than delve into the larger ripple effects that created financial ruin to many families caught in the mortgage debacle. That aspect is glossed over rather quickly. But the film does serve not only as a reminder of what was, but also a warning of what may come...once again. Let the buyer beware!
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