Title: The Big Short

Director: Adam McKay

Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

Watched via: Blu-ray (currently unavailable to stream but is available for rent for $3.99 (HD) on Amazon and Apple.)

IMDb synopsis: In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the US mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.

Hedge fund manager Michael Burry (Christian Bale), through his own research, believes that the housing market in the United States is propped up with popsicle sticks and crazy glue and is a bubble just waiting to burst. He believes that if he were to short (bet against) the housing market that he would profit quite handsomely. However, the big banks think Burry is a nut job and gladly accept his money. Why wouldn’t they want to take a bet against something that has never happened in American history?

But wait, what makes up the popsicle sticks and crazy glue holding the market together? Subprime loans. Well, what is a subprime loan? Enter the woman of the hour, Margot Robbie, to explain.

As far as Margot Robbie goes, that is it. She shows up on-screen at 13:50 and at 14:54 we see the last of her in this film. But, she does leave us with a memorable quote. “So, whenever you hear ‘subprime’, think ‘shit’.”

You might be thinking, “Hold on, was that Ryan Gosling narrating?”, and you would be correct. Gosling serves as our narrator but also plays the role of Jared Vennett, a trader for Deutsche Bank. Vennett hears about what Burry is doing and believes he too can cash-in by shorting the housing market. In his own attempt to find a bank willing to take the bet, Vennett accidentally dials FrontPoint Partners.

FrontPoint is run by Mark Baum (Steve Carell) who, self-admittedly, will call out an injustice when he sees it despite the surroundings or situation. On his team, Baum has Danny Moses (Rafe Spall), Porter Collins (Hamish Linklater), and Vinny Daniel (Jeremy Strong). While skeptical, Baum and his team agree to hear out Vennett and invite him to hear his pitch. In his pitch about a credit default swap, Vennett explains how bad bonds are then packaged together as CDOs, or Collateral Debt Obligations. Don’t worry though, we have Anthony Bourdain to help us understand what exactly a CDO is.

After listening to Vennett’s pitch, Baum and his team are still a little skeptical but start to believe that Vennett actually might be right on this one. In fact, they not only believe that Burry’s information checks out but that the bond agencies are grossly overrating these “bad” bonds.

This brings us to the last bit of introductions to our key players. Enter garage-based hedge fund Brownfield, made up of Charlie Geller (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock). They both just want a seat at the table with the big dogs. Unfortunately, they lack the experience and clout for a seat at the table. We, the audience, see this first hand as Charlie and Jamie are all but laughed at during a lobby meeting with JP Morgan Chase. However, as they are standing there after the meeting, they find Vennett’s prospectus and want in. But, in order to be taken seriously, Charlie and Jamie know they need help. So they decide to call a former trader who was also a neighbor, Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt). Despite being retired and out of the game, Rickert agrees to help Charlie and Jamie after looking through the data.

From that point on, we are off to the races. If you did not live through it, or have not seen The Big Short (2015) before, please go watch the film. Yes, a quick Google search will tell you whether or not Burry was right and how everything played out. But, the way the story is told here deserves to be experienced at least once.

When this scenario was actually playing out, I was old enough to have a slight grasp as to what was happening but young enough to be in a position where it had no major impact on me at the time. It wasn’t until The Big Short (2015) first landed on streaming that I saw it for the first time. That was the one and only viewing for me prior to revisiting it for this post. I remember liking it initially, but after a long overdue rewatch, I absolutely love it.

Yes, the story is fascinating. And yes, the music from Nicholas Britell works wonderfully in leaning into the swirl of emotions you feel as the story plays out. But, the performances we get are what make The Big Short (2015) so special to me.

Full disclosure, I forgot that Ryan Gosling was even in this, let alone that he was the narrator. Whenever anyone mentions The Big Short (2015), my mind instantly goes to Bale and Carell. That isn’t to take anything away from Gosling though, he is great as Jared Vennett. He and Steve Carell have a special kind of connection. We were able to see it in on full display in 2011’s Crazy, Stupid, Love and they pick up right where they left off here. An absolute joy to see those two trade jabs and work together on-screen. For Carell, he was fresh off of 2014’s Foxcatcher and delivers another powerhouse performance as Mark Baum. While he never disappoints in comedic roles, I hope it is a very long time before we see the end of Steve Carell in more serious and dramatic roles.

All of that being said, the two performances that I arguably enjoyed the most were turned in by Christian Bale and Brad Pitt. Bale has this ability to immerse himself into a role to such an extent that you forget you are even watching a performance, and he does it again here. No stone goes unturned with him. He wants to know and master every little minute intricacy of his character. As Michael Burry, that included learning to play drums and wearing a prosthetic eye to match the glass eye of the real Michael Burry.

As for Brad Pitt, it might seem an odd choice that his portrayal of Ben Rickert is one of my favorites of the film. Much like with Bale, you almost forget that you are watching Brad Pitt act. In Pitt’s case, it helps that his makeup and costume make him almost unrecognizable. But that isn’t the only thing. I think it is the humaneness of his character that appeals to me. Ben Rickert knows that the system is crooked and he also understands that for every winner there are just as many, if not more, that come out as losers. We are able to see this on full display as he, Charlie, and Jamie are all leaving Las Vegas.

Knowing they pulled of deals that will make them filthy rich, Charlie and Jamie can’t help but celebrate as they walk through the casino on their way out. But it is Ben who points out that millions of people are going to suffer as a result of them being right. He tells them that it is ok to be happy but just don’t dance around about it.

Granted, she was only on the screen for just over a minute, but of all the Margot Robbie films we have watched, this is by far my favorite…so far. It also is very easily my favorite Adam McKay movie that he has directed.

So, what are your thoughts on The Big Short (2015)? Tell me all about it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

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Well, what is coming up next? Next up in our Margot Robbie filmography watch through we will be visiting 2016’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Unfortunately, this one also is not currently available to stream. However, it is available to rent in HD for $3.99 on all major platforms.

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