Adam McKay's entrance into more dramatic material following his raunchy comedies, such as Anchorman and Talladega Nights, is a shift that worked surprisingly well here. He's taking on the events leading up to the 2008 financial collapse, which proves to be an entertaining and devastating look into the incompetence and greed of the people who orchestrated this event.
Beginning in 2005, the film follows various characters through three separate stories as they learn of the instability of the housing market despite the bank's assurances. They all realize there is a chance to profit from this impending collapse, and through these stories, the film takes us through various concepts and events that would end up causing the collapse in 2008.
This is a tough subject to make into a film, and McKay really gets that; his approach to address this is brilliant. The film is presented in a comedic lens for a good amount of the runtime, with much of the dialogue and situations embracing this. The film is shot like a documentary, similar to shows like The Office, which gives it a very lived-in feel. This makes the audience not feel alienated, and lets them be brought into this world that most of them would be unfamiliar with. Speaking of unfamiliar, the film knows that many of these financial terms and concepts fly over most people's heads. This is addressed through various 4th wall breaks, often with celebrities explaining the things that a being discussed in the film. Even if you don't quite understand it afterwards, the film makes sure the audience knows the core aspects, which are the banks being greedy and stupid, which is really all you need to know.
The Film is also boosted by its terrific ensemble. Christian Bale, Steve Carrall, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, and the rest of the cast make all these characters exceptionally memorable. The two standouts are Christian Bale and Steve Carrall. Bale plays Dr. Michael Burry, a Hedge Fund manager who is the first in the story to realize the housing market has a bubble that's going to burst. Burry is one of those socially awkward on the spectrum individuals, who has a hard time interacting with people and displays bizarre behavior throughout the movie. Bale does an amazing job embodying this character, and his facial ticks and delivery make him fascinating to watch, especially in the scenes where he interacts with bankers and his frustrated clients. Steve Carrall, in some of his best work, plays Mark Baum, the leader of a small trading firm. Baum carries a strong hatred towards the greed of the banks, and this anger and resentment his present throughout most of the film. This could have easily been a note character trait, but later on in the film, Carrall gets to show more of his emotional range when the collapse becomes more imminent, and his anger turns towards sadness. He says this much towards the end when he participates in a debate with a high-ranking investor. He concludes his argument with one of the film's most powerful lines: "I just know that average people are the ones who are going to have to pay for all this, because they always do."
Despite the film's comedic elements, McKay doesn't shy away from the seriousness and tragedy of the situation. It's certainly entertaining to watch these outsiders outmaneuver the big financial institutions, but that doesn't change the fact that many people's lives will be negatively impacted. One of the stories involves two young investors, Jaime Shipley and Charlie Geller, who learn of the unstable housing market after getting rejected by JP Morgan. They enlist the help of Ben Rickert, a retired fianchchel guru played memorably by Brad Pitt. They make various deals in Vegas during the American Securization Forum, and celebrate immediately after making the deal of their lives, but Ben angrily reminds them that if they are right, this will result in millions of people losing their jobs and homes. Following this, we get into the final and best act of the film, where the comedy mostly disappears, and you are instead left with a sense of dread and anger. In the film's gut-punching conclusion, we are left asking ourselves why we allowed this to happen, and why there weren't any consequences to those who caused it. It's an ending that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
Adam McKay's unique approach to this real-world subject makes it one of the most memorable films of the 2010s. If you haven't seen it or it's been a while since you have, give it a watch, and you'll see why.
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