Friday Film Post: The Big Short

Looking for a film to watch this weekend? The Big Short, based on the New York Times bestselling non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, is now available on Netflix. While watching a movie about the housing bubble collapse of the 2007-2008 might not seem like a good way to spend your weekend, the film is entertaining and enlightening. Directed and co-written by Adam McKay of Anchorman and Talladega Nights fame, this drama maintains a dark humor throughout and provides readers with a modern day morality play. 

Micheal Lewis writes non-fiction, but his masterful story-telling coupled with his strong character development lend his writing a literary quality that is at once accessible and elevated. His descriptions of people are so vivid and specific that they seem to leap off the page. After a few short lines reading about someone, you have a sense that you would probably recognize this person if you were behind them in line at the grocery store one day. This writing provides the basis for McKay's script and allows for amazing performances by Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt.


The mechanics of the financial collapse at the center of the plot are complicated and, admittedly, not entirely interesting. To combat this, the film incorporates and spoofs documentary cut-aways and narration techniques. McKay keeps the audience engaged by using cameo appearances from celebrities like Anthony Bourdain and Selena Gomez to explain these dizzying financial concepts. The most famous cameo in the film is when Margot Robbie explains "sub-prime mortgages" while drinking champagne in a bubble bath. Before you click on the hyperlink to watch the scene, be aware that the film is rated R and this scene contains profanity. It's a decidedly sharp departure from elevated prose of Lewis's book, but the film is aiming for a broader audience.

 

This tension between the seriousness of the fraudulent financial practices being described and the light-hearted style in which those practices are described by celebrities might leave some with a bad taste in their mouths. For other viewers, that McKay's silly style serves as the honey that helps the medicine go down. If the film doesn't float your boat, you can always check the book out by Michael Lewis. Happy viewing! Happy reading!