Review of The Big Short (2015) by Tjman09 — 13 Jan 2016

The Big Short is one of those films that everybody could enjoy, and everybody should see. While the film is not perfect it is very funny, probably because the director is comedy specialist Adam McKay, and is also a somewhat important film because it’s very revealing. The Big Short is interesting and educational, features a great ensemble, but is subject to some distracting camerawork. For anybody interested in the 2008 Housing Market Crash this film is perfect.

The film begins with narration that addresses the biggest problem the film will have, which is that the Housing Market Crash of 2008 was an extremely complicated issue, that is why so few saw it coming. The story is so complicated, because it requires some understanding of how the housing system worked at the time, which apparently most of the people running the system at the time didn’t even have, so the film ends up teaching the audience how the crash happened. That sounds boring, but the film does a brilliant job by doing it through hilarious cameos and lacing the overly informational pieces with humor. The film accomplishes the very hard task of making the mess understandable, and even teaching those interested enough about how it went wrong.

When looking at it The Big Short clearly had a great script, with dialogue that just rolls, but in such a complicated movie the acting had to be good. Christian Bale is very good as the wacky Dr. Michael Burry, often embodying the odd personality he was tasked with, and even handling the task of showing a misunderstood genius. The other performer who was terrific was Steve Carell, who has consistently proved that he’s not just a great comedy actor. While Carell is known for films like The 40 Year Old Virgin, last years Foxcatcher and now The Big Short prove that he can give a performance with emotional depth, and a sense of humanity.

The only thing that the film really doesn’t well is it’s camerawork, which in such a complicated story seems too distracting. The Filmmakers felt they needed to rely on Close-Ups, rack focuses, and shaky movement. To be clear the film only feels so shaky, because much of the film is shot handheld, and in close-ups, which will accentuate movement. It’s easy with a lot of soft focus, which this film plays with a lot, to be pulled out of the film, and thus it requires even more effort from the audience to follow what’s happening. To make an example it’s like if somebody pointed at something in a dark cave at night, and then pointed a flashlight in your face, as you looked for it.

In the end, The Big Short is a funny, intelligent, well-acted, and interesting view of the few men able to make money when everybody else was losing money hand over fist. The entire ensemble of talented big name actors carry their own weight, and some even rise above expectations. To be honest everybody should watch this film, because it tells the ever important story of how ignorance caused a worldwide meltdown, and we’re apt to do it again if we don’t learn from our mistakes.