The Big Short (2015)
Biography, Drama, Comedy
Directed By: Adam McKay
Most people look at film as a form of pure entertainment, and they aren't wrong. Often times however, this entertainment can be used to educate the general public about things they typically wouldn't give the time of day. The newest film from writer/director Adam McKay (Anchorman) aims to do just that, and in an ambitious way. He uses The Big Short to try and enlighten all of us as to exactly what happened when the banks collapsed back in the mid 2000's and our government was forced to bail them out. McKay has brilliantly found a way to take language that is made intentionally to confuse us and break it down in such simple ways that anyone can understand it, and it won't make you happy.
The film isn't just about the collapse of the banks though, it instead focuses on the select few people who predicted this was going to happen when everyone else thought it impossible. Not only did they know it was going to happen, but they used it as a tool to make money and to punish the banks for knowingly doing this to the American people. The only problem is the big wigs they are betting against may be even worse people than they initially thought. I am no master of finance so I won't try (and fail) to explain what exactly happens to all of you, that was McKay's job and he does it masterfully.
Tackling a subject like this is never easy, trying to break down a language that was invented to confuse us (as is stated in the movie) and make it totally accessible to us is no easy task, McKay figured it out. Using his experience and talent from the comedic world, he blends the serious with the not to serious which allows the story to flow in such a way that it never feels too complicated. The banking crisis happened almost a decade ago and I'm sure most of you, just like me, have no idea what exactly happened to cause this and why exactly our tax dollars had to be used to bail them out. The Big Short will finally answer all the questions about this you never knew you had, and make you completely furious while doing so.
To break this language down and to give it to us in simplistic ways he cleverly uses fourth wall breaking and cut away scenes with famous celebrities to help simplify everything. Need to explain mortgage bonds? no problem, we'll just cut away to Margot Robbie in a bubble bath with a glass of champagne. She then uses simple language to explain the big confusing mess that was just presented to you just minutes prior. Ryan Gosling's character is constantly breaking the fourth wall to turn and tell us, the audience, what is actually going on and why exactly we don't understand it at first glance.
The goal of this film was to educate us to the criminal activities that occurred within the banking industry that led to the collapse in 2007-08, so much so that it feels like a documentary at times. McKay even notes in the movie where he strays a bit from the whole truth to help the story move along slightly more cinematically, it's an absolutely genius move. Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell all turn in amazing performances but this is McKay's film in the end. It is his writing and direction that make this so accessible and easy to understand for the general public. Without his tough of the "everyday American" this film is just another movie about the 1% that only confuses us even more. Thanks to him we can all finally get a little understanding out of this whole mess, even if it does leave us madder than all hell.
As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!
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