"The Big Short" Review

Title: The Big Short

Directed by: Adam McKay

Screenplay by: Adam McKay and Charles Randolph

Year: 2015


Going into The Big Short, I knew very little about the 2008 housing crisis. The success of this film hinged on how it communicated its wordy and number-heavy subject matter to the audience. Normally, films with similar topics are heavily dramatic and the beats feel familiar. Yet, The Big Short is the most unconventional film I have witnessed this past year. But creativity is not everything. Is this movie a big success, or does it fall short of its ambitions?

A few years before the crisis occurred, a few individuals, whether by happenstance or observation, saw that the housing market would eventually collapse. Investigations are made by these people to verify the claims and also to see if a profit can be made by knowing this information. This film is an adaptation of the novel The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis.

The Big Short has a very strong all star cast. Christian Bale portrays Michael Burry, the man who first caught on to the eventual collapse of the housing market. Bale is excellent in the role, having to portray a genius with Aspergers, a glass eye, and awkward social interactions. Bale sells the role and is a joy to watch. Equally impressive is Steve Carell, playing Mark Baum, a man with some anger issues. Carell seems to be having an absolute ball with the role and the character's crude frankness is hilarious. Ryan Gosling takes on the role of Jared Vennett and he is delightfully charming. He is able to go toe-to-toe with Carell, which makes for some of the most entertaining parts of the film. Brad Pitt receives less screen time than three previously mentioned, but that does not hinder his performance. He plays the quieter and more subdued character of Ben Rickert. Pitt is nearly unrecognizable in the role and he does not have many standout moments, save for one truly powerful scene, but he does present a strong on-screen presence.

Finn Wittrock and John Magaro as Jamie Shipley and Charlie Geller, respectively, are endlessly entertaining. They work incredibly well off of each other and their interactions with Pitt's character are where they truly shine. In addition, the actors portraying Baum's team were ridiculously fun to watch. All three of them got their moment in the spotlight and they all had really great chemistry with one another.

But star power alone cannot fuel a film all about the housing market, with big words and even bigger numbers. Luckily, the scriptwriters are up to the challenge. The writing for The Big Short is very well done, simplifying or defining specialized terms for the average moviegoer. The film takes several unconventional approaches to accomplish this, whether it be with celebrity cameos, giving examples, are simply writing it out on the screen. The film breaks the fourth wall on multiple occasions, which is a benefit to the audience as it allows for the characters to tell the audience directly what exactly is going on, while also throwing some humor into the mix.

Speaking of humor, The Big Short may be about a very serious topic, but it is a dark comedy at its core. You might not be laughing every minute, or every scene for that matter, but the movie knows when to deliver the jokes and most of them really work. There is some really great banter between characters and, once again, the fourth wall breaks are usually done in a comedic manner. One of the best lines has to be from Steve Carell; "So mortgage bonds are dog shit. And CDOs are dog shit wrapped in cat shit."

I mentioned earlier how this was a very unconventional film. In addition to the cameos and fourth wall breaks, the direction and editing give this film its own identity. Adam McKay has such a grip on what the film should feel like and his direction feels very confident and unapologetic. He understands how to grab the viewers' attention and his style is as big of a star in this picture as any of the cast members. The editing feels very snappy and off-the-cuff, which is appropriate for the film. We never know where the film will go next, which plays heavily against expectations, and the movie as a whole flows very well. However, some parts of the third act seem to drift off and lose a bit of focus as things slow down.

Another issue I had with this film is that, although it does a commendable job at explaining complex terms and describing exactly what is happening, portions of the third act seem to leave the audience hanging as new terms come up but no explanations are given. Because of this, as well as the pacing I mentioned earlier, the third act is not as good as the first two, but is still very entertaining. The issues grow and grows and the characters are placed in very dark places.

Of all the films I watched this past year, The Big Short is probably the one that affected me the most. Creed was certainly the most emotional, but after watching this film, I walked out of the theatre feeling very nervous for no reason. The movie does a very good job at placing you in the shoes of these businessmen. You are not the spectator, but instead you are there with them, trying to solve this issue. The performances are solid, the script is well written and does its best not to lose the audience, and the unconventional nature of this film makes it more memorable and effective. There are a few minor issues with the third act, but nothing that really hurts the film too much. This is similar to The Wolf of Wall Street in approach, as both take a book based on a serious topic and turn it into an enjoyably digestible film, but they are two different beasts altogether. The Big Short is as educational as it is entertaining.

Grade: A-