The Big Short

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Big Short, helmed by Adam McKay (best known for his hilarious Anchorman films), explores the shocking corruption within the American economy in the preceding years of the 2008 global financial crisis. Starring an all-star cast including Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and Brad Pitt – they each portray characters that catch wind of the financial crisis before everyone else, with the film focused on their reactions and schemes as a result.

Adam McKay’s directing style is commendable, with a fast paced documentary style including fourth-wall breaks pulling the audience into his film. The Big Short particularly excels in one hilarious scene, which is a montage of various bank dealings depicted to the tune of ‘Money Maker’ by Ludacris ft. Pitbull – a genius idea. However, one mistake is to expect another Wolf of Wall Street, and whilst The Big Short concentrates on Wall Street’s corruption, the raunchiness of Scorsese’s film is absent with the corruption being examined mainly through financial lingo.

Christian Bale plays Michael Burry in The Big Short. Image: Paramount Pictures

For the most part, the performances are fantastic . Most notable is Christian Bale’s portrayal of Michael Burry, a mathematical genius who first envisions the financial crisis. Bale astonishes in conveying raw humanity which when contrasted with the financial corruption around him, sells the film’s dramatic tone when needed. Bale also nails a few comedic moments through his character’s quirks, from his childlike facial expressions to his tantrums when listening to heavy metal.

Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt also excel, despite their somewhat minor roles. Gosling acts as the narrator of the film, which tends to bring laughs, particularly through him introducing certain celebrity cameos. Whilst Steve Carell does a great job, particularly with a poignant backstory that makes the audience believe his anger towards the financial system, the script lets him down. As his character’s anger and shock towards the system rises in the latter half of the film, the script’s financial jargon underscoring the drama does not entirely allow the audience to empathize with Carell’s performance.

The Big Short’ requires the audience to concentrate, which whilst rewarding at first slowly turns taxing

This is where ‘The Big Short’ begins to fall a little flat, with many scenes in the film’s middle drawn out as the plethora of financial terms fail to make the dialogue interesting. Consequently, the shift from hilarious absurdity to a more dramatic tone in the film’s latter half fails as well. Terms like “CDO (collatarized debt obligation)” gets thrown around with as much frequency as profanity between characters. The problem is not that the financial lingo crucial to understanding the crisis itself isn’t interesting; the main issue is that the script does not explain them well enough.

Left to right: Steve Carell plays Mark Baum and Ryan Gosling plays Jared Vennett Image: Paramount Pictures

Furthermore, the film has tonal issues by simultaneously displaying comedic and dramatic elements whilst not truly excelling in either. The ambitious aim to deliver a feeling of shock from the financial corruption present does not deliver and as a result, the climatic depiction of the financial crisis occurring was quite underwhelming.

In the end, The Big Short requires the audience to concentrate, which whilst rewarding at first slowly turns taxing. Indeed, whilst the performances and directing are impressive, the script and plot fails to deliver in comparison. The film’s potential to deliver a scathing remark on the financial corruption behind the crisis is imminently present, but never occurs. Nevertheless, what the film unveils in terms of the inherent corruption within the American economy at the time is thought provoking and worth a watch.

Director: Adam McKay

Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater, John Magaro, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Marisa Tomei, Finn Wittrock

Running Time: 130 Mins

Country: USA

The Big Short is out in Warwick Arts Centre on the 19th February, and in cinemas now.