The Big Short

Together with Co-Writer Charles Randolph, Writer/Director Adam McKay has created a fun-filled sort of Documentary, mostly Narrative Dramedy with The Big Short.

It’s the mostly true story about how greed, fraud and stupidity created the housing market collapse of 2007 that was not only catastrophic for the American economy, but the global comedy, as well.  The heroes of the story are the few investors, who realized it was about to happen.

With a brilliant cast, including Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt, backed up by the equally brilliant Marisa Tomei, Melissa Leo, Rafe Spall and others Casting Directors Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler brought to the party (all playing real-life characters), the tragedy becomes laughably maddening or maddeningly laughable, depending on your point of view.

The best parts are the injections of “interruptions” by the likes of sexy Margot Robbie (in a bubble bath) and Selena Gomez (at a craps table) to clearly explain why banks began filling “MBS” with riskier mortgages and what terms like “tranches” and “CPOs” mean.  One comes away with a feeling of, “Now, I get it.  Why didn’t reporters do this, then?”

If you were, at all, impacted by the Great Recession, it would be worth your while to see this film and realize who was responsible for perpetrating this disaster and who has escaped without punishment.  Spoiler alert…almost everyone!

The Big Short is not the best film of the year, but it’s one of the most important.  I give it a 4.5 out of 5.