At first when I heard about this film, I saw the actor list, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Steve Carell, so of course, I was sold. Not to mention that Christian Bale is my favorite actor, I just know that these names together will not disappoint. The director, Adam McKay, is also known for numerous funny films, such as "Anchorman" and "Daddy’s Home." Therefore, I was very ready to watch it and was very excited.
The movie did not have the kind of mind-blowing moment that I always look for in a movie, but it also did not disappoint me. The movie discusses a rather serious and complex subject as it involves an in-depth analysis of the economic system, specifically the mortgage bonds.
I am not an economics expert, and only remember the 2008 economic crisis through my dad’s stories. Nevertheless, I was able to understand even the technical side of the discussion, with the help of celebrities like Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie, who explain the complicated terms and concepts to the audience in a way everyone can understand.
The story is intriguing and anger-provoking as you witness the stupidity and greed of Wall Street through the lens of the main characters. The movie exposes the vast degree of lies and manipulation of the financial world as the story unveils with different characters development and their different stories.
It throws audience back to 2008, and makes them remember the tragic outcomes that the crisis has on people’s life. Even though I had just begun middle school, I still remember watching it on the news every day and hearing my dad talk about how accomplished he felt making the decision to avoid losses during the crisis.
However, most people were not as lucky as my dad. Many of them lost their jobs, many of them lost their homes, many of them lost their lives. The promising Wall Street jobs suddenly become history. All of this happened because of the greedy system that is made up by giant corporations that will take any opportunity to make money off of ordinary people and of course have them paid for their mistakes.
The actors all gave brilliant performances in the movie, as per usual and the style of the film engages the audience and keeps them wondering and reflecting on the topic of discussion.
As the film tells the story of Michael Burry, Jared Vennett, Mark Baum and other characters, the audience gets to witness their personality, their ambition, and their sense of justice.
The irony is that these so called heroes of the movie -- those who foresaw the coming of the financial crisis -- ended up making millions off the mortgage bond meltdown. Nevertheless, the film itself is educational, relevant and entertaining and most importantly it is a dramatized version of the true stories. That is the most valuable aspect of this movie.
In the end, Wall Street is a scary and dangerous place and I will simply watch it from afar on the big screen.
