We're a couple weeks behind on this one, so here it goes......
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| Looks like the 2006 Gordon Gecko line is now available at Macy's! |
Shut up and
sit down. This would be the perfect
opportunity for a political rant about American Anti-intellectualism and our
willful blindness towards the boring and mundane, but frankly, you’d be far
better off just going to see The Big Short.
In it you’ll find all of the frustration
and vitriol you can possibly stomach, stated far more eloquently than I ever
could. Despite the film’s obvious anger
towards the subject matter in question, The
Big Short somehow manages to be one of the funniest and most important
movies in recent years.
Director
Adam McKay and screenwriter Charles Randolph put on a clinic in
storytelling. This isn’t an
exaggeration. Let’s be frank – the
banking industry is boring. In fact,
that’s the theme of Ryan Gosling’s fourth-wall breaking opening monologue. And yet, The
Big Short manages to be tense, exciting, and raucously funny. It does so by extolling one simple virtue –
honesty. Most of the film’s funniest
moments are anti-jokes, you’ll guffaw at the sheer absurdity of it all, telling
yourself that this story can’t possibly be true. The movie even lets you know when it’s not
being completely honest with you, when the truth didn’t quite make for good
storytelling. Does that mean the rest of
the story we’re shown is completely honest?
Perhaps not, but it does a fantastic job of making the film feel
genuine.
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| Looks like Steve Carrell plays yet another guy with anger issues and a bad hairpiece. What range!!! |
Some of the
other storytelling elements may be a bit more divisive, however. The fourth-wall breaking monologues and
glances to the camera are pretty pervasive throughout, but definitely fit the
tone of the film. Never quite a
blood-chilling as Kevin Spacey’s moments in House
of Cards, but a similar effect is undoubtedly achieved. Some may find these moments distracting or
overused, but it’s difficult to argue against their efficacy. Similarly questionable, the movie uses
several celebrities and personalities, playing themselves, to explain the
intricacies of the mortgage securities world.
Some might find it jarring, but it just kind of works in the context of the film.
It’s funny, it’s well-reasoned, and it gets a complicated point across. Moments like this give the movie the
enjoyable, digestible value that will likely make it a part of numerous college
curricula on finance, ethics, and filmmaking.
Despite its
definite digestibility, The Big Short’s largest
shortcoming, sadly, is that it’s probably a bit too smart for everyone. It does an absolutely impeccable job at
making a boring topic interesting, but if you are the type of movie-goer that
finds yourself asking questions and struggling to keep up with a complicated
narrative, The Big Short might be
frustrating for you for all the wrong reasons.
That being said, every eighteen-year-old with a credit card needs to see this movie.
Finally, the
film’s ensemble cast provide universally solid performances. You know you’ve got a well-acted movie when
the likes of Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, and Steve Carrell set the bar and the
rest of the cast more than adequately rise to the occasion. Gosling is perfectly slimy and Finn Witrock (American Horror Story) continues to rise
above the rest of Young Hollywood. The Big Short is a perfect period piece from the
‘00s, for better or for worse, and will likely remain one of the most important
and funny movies of the decade.
Score
-Patrick B. McDonald