Movie Review: The Crazy Combination of Extreme Information and Extreme Entertainment- The Big Short

** Spoiler Alert!**
"Truth is like poetry. And most people fucking hate poetry!"  ---Overheard in a Washington D.C. bar.

I really want to re-watch this movie! And the reasons are that there's lot to learn and it's wonderfully entertaining with a gripping storytelling. Taking movie making to different standards by being true to source material and fictional at the same time (you should watch it to understand it!), Adam McKay nails it with this flick. Starting with the marketing to the end credits, the movie stays on focus and doesn't deviate or gets lost in silly side tracks/ drama.

The Big Short tells the story of four weirdos (as they're addressed in the movie), who knew that the infamous sub-prime crisis was coming, long before anybody ever anticipated such thing. And they take advantage of the situation to bet against Mortgage market and make banks pay, for them to get rich. And you find yourself rooting for them as the movie progresses though it might be against morality. By perfectly adapting the book, Adam succeeds in telling a captivating story of how we (as in the economists and bankers of the world) dig our own grave. Being so close to the true events and also saying it out straight to audience faces when its not, the fourth wall breaks in the movie stands out. Sometimes, these fourth wall breaks feel more awesome than that of from Deadpool (Sorry Wade, I love you! Please don't find me and kill me :) ).


Perfect casting of Christian Bale as Dr. Michael J Burry, The Wall Street Guru and Steve Carell as Mark Baum adds numerous points to the movie. Bale's performance as an odd genius struggling with human interactions is fantastic which got him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Steve Carell, who was more known for his comedic performances, has nailed his character in The Fox Catcher around an year ago and doesn't disappoint in a dramatic performance again in The Big Short. Ryan Gosling as Jared Vennett does a wonderful job. Brad Pitt as Ben Rickert brings in the seriousness of the story and the intensity of the collapse that was yet to come then. With impeccable screenplay, costumes and styling, the movie maintains the tempo and flow stable.

Highlights:

  • Fourth Wall Breaks
  • Screenplay
  • Deeper explanations
  • Music
  • Script
Imperfections:
  • Few Cliches here and there.
What does The Big Short do best?
        Two things. First, having Margot Robbie, Selena Gomez and other celebrities explain complex finance terms like ISDA, CDO and Sub-Prime. I mean, doing that makes the audience understand how big banks have screwed them. So, the audience sees the need to understand the movie and connects to it. Using Fourth Wall breaks to do that is the best way. Also, using Jenga Bars to explain Mortgage Market is wonderful.
         Second, Highlighting corruption and greed in Wall Street. Though this wasn't the first movie to do so, The Big Short shows the corruption in a way that audience gets a chill down their spine knowing things.

I'd have definitely rooted for this movie to win The Best Movie Oscar.
Appreciations:
  • Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay

Verdict: An achievement in film-making. Must watch for every finance guy. That's basically everybody!

Source: Images Sourced from Google Images.



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