This movie takes the very confusing concept of the housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s and makes it slightly less confusing using humor that combines 3 different yet similar stories into one semi cohesive storyline. The first follows Christian Bale's character, one follows Steve Carell's character (and his group), and the last follows Brad Pitt's "friends". Ryan Gosling's character is associated with Carell's group and he brings a lot of laughs.
At first I was kind of lost. Then the movie takes the gamble by insulting you, but then has Margot Robbie playing herself explain what is going on while she sits in a bubble bath. Hilarious, and thankfully the laughs continue. Director Adam McKay does a great job of keeping you invested in the story, but I found myself fighting it. I was rooting against the characters because I didn't like them and they appeared to be betting against the US economy. Then you realize that they are actually betting against the banks, and at one point I felt sorry for them, so I started rooting for them. Unfortunately, rooting for them meant rooting for the eventual collapse of the US economy due to the then-stable housing market so it was quite the journey.
McKay did a good job putting a face on some of those affected, "the poor and the immigrants" and I genuinely felt sorry for them. He also showcased how dumb and/or ignorant people were concerning mortgages, bonds, and other financial products.
The movie definitely had a "The Wolf of Wall Street" vibe, and I find myself wanting to watch it a 2nd or 3rd time to maybe understand it more, but at the same time I don't want to watch it because it's so freakin' sad. People saw the tragedy coming and everyone just laughed at them. It's truly heartbreaking.
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Best Pic noms in order of enjoyment:
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Big Short
The Martian
The Revenant
Bridge of Spies
To view:
Spotlight
Room
Brooklyn
