The Big Short

As we near the end of the year, I often have to make many choices with regards to what final films I'll be seeing. 

This year, Hollywood is releasing a metric s**t-ton of films on Christmas Day, and quite frankly, I don't have the desire, time, or willpower to slog through all of them on my days off from work. So I'll be picking and choosing to make sure I get to the ones I want to get to before the end of the year wraps up. 

But there's been one on my radar for a while. Unfortunately it too was poisoned by a limited release (and a weird one at that since I feel like I started seeing reviews for it over a month ago), but it's finally in wide release and I was able to catch it. 

The Big Short features an all star cast of Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, and Brad Pitt in the adaptation of the same book directed by Will Ferrell-usual, Adam McKay. This is one of those very rare times that I haven't read the book previously -- though I plan to having now seen it -- so I wont be able to provide that insight this time around. That's okay though because it probably would have just helped me to enjoy/appreciate a great film even more as The Big Short is entertaining, informative, dramatic, and absolutely terrifying all in one mesmerizing stroke. 

For those who don't know, The Big Short refers to the bets that a few bankers/analysts made against the housing market in the early 2000s. Christian Bale's odd Dr. Michael Burry first discovered that many of the financial structures used to build up the housing market and make mortgages affordable were crappy and borderline fraudulent; he predicted that this would eventually result in an economic collapse of the housing market. The other characters in the film catch wind of this and are about the only ones who actually believe it, thus betting against the market as well by buying shorts from the banks that would pay out should the housing market collapse. If this all sounds pretty technical to you, that's because it is (which is pretty much a line ripped straight from the film). Being upfront here: most of this stuff is way over my head, and I'd assume it's also over most of the general public's head too...part of the reason we got into this mess in the first place. The Big Short is a very technical film, but it explains all of this about as well as you could hope for a movie to, and it does so in entertaining ways that are often direct reflections of McKay's comedic genius. To say much more would be to give away some funny surprises, but just know that, even if you don't understand loans/mortgages/bonds/ratings/etc. The Big Short will do its best to inform you, while also gently mocking you for not knowing.

Exiting life as a vigilante, Batman decided to become an analyst. But what he would find would change the world...

"Don't touch it again. The beard is real, ok?"

The film is full of kinetic energy; it's always in motion, always doing something, and always explaining something. At times it can be a bit exhausting and one will wish that it would take a moment to breath, but it makes for a very exciting movie about a not-so-exciting topic. I also feel like the film really did a great job of blending tones, which is the downfall of many films like this. It does so by realizing when it should throw jokes around (usually early on in the film) and when it should be serious about an event that disrupted or destroyed a bunch of people's lives. This is some scary stuff and the film does a fantastic job balancing that proverbial beam of when it can allow it's characters to thrive and be funny, and when they should be more human. Truth be told, tone imbalance could have destroyed this movie, but instead it became one of the things I appreciated most about it.

Underneath all the explanations and tonal navigations is a very good film from almost every standpoint. Some of the editing was a bit hyper here and there, but otherwise everything is great. Performances are solid from all four of the main cast with each bringing something special to the mix. Bale's Burry is eccentric and highly odd, Gosling's Jared Vennett is an arrogant, but hilarious prick, Carrell's Mark Baum is a moral man in an immoral place, and Pitt's Ben Ricke, while getting the short end of the stick, is still a pleasure to watch. This is also a wickedly funny film, with some truly hearty and genuine laughs throughout, including some from the nostalgia-filled soundtrack. As I mentioned earlier, the pacing is quick, with this being a film that feels shorter than its runtime, which is also kind of amazing when you consider the amount of content + teaching the audience that this film crams in. 

"I loved you in Crazy, Stupid, Love..."
"OMG, me too!"

 

The Big Short may have come near the end of the year, but that doesn't mean it will be so easily forgotten as it ends up being one of the best films in 2015. Audiences should enjoy it for the star power and comedy alone, but I imagine that many people will be surprised that they learned a thing or two along the way. 

CONS:

• A few scenes felt unnecessary and there were times where Bale's Burry was almost too awkward
• The hyper editing is overused at times
• Brad Pitt is mostly just there to have a fourth face to round out the poster

PROS:

• Explains everything that happened to the best of its abilities. I learned a lot about what happened prior to 2008 as well as some common terms that I'd never heard before. It does a pretty stupendous job at making sure that the audience knows the terminology that the script is constantly throwing at them
• I enjoyed the breaking of the Fourth Wall
• Stellar cast, all of whom leave their mark
• Very funny. A few scenes had me absolutely rolling
• Great direction by McKay in a film that's out of his comfort zone
• A very kinetic movie. It's never really slowed down and it packs a lot of content into its runtime. This style makes for an exciting film despite the topic at hand
• Fantastic script and adaptation of the source material
• Fun soundtrack
• Does a stupendous job at balancing the comedic tone of the characters involved and the gravitas/weight of the very real, very sad economic collapse

Rath's Review Score: 9/10