Director: Adam McKay
Year Released: 2015
Rating: 2.0
Hedge fund manager Dr. Michael Burry (Christian Bale) discovers what he believes is an upcoming housing bubble (due to subprime mortgages being handed out like lollipops) and starts to 'short' the housing bonds (basically: make money off them failing); several others in the investment world (including Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling) hear about this, do their own due diligence and follow suit. Entirely too self-conscious about its own subject matter with its (to me, at least) complex terminology, it keeps breaking the fourth wall and drags in celebrities (including Margot Robbie, Anthony Bourdain and Selena Gomez) to 'offer explanations' - it also flounders when it tries to evoke sympathy by reminding the audience that Carell's character's brother committed suicide because of financial problems. As Brad Pitt's (little used) character notes, for all this 'fun' in predicting collapse, peoples' lives were ruined: while I'm glad a bunch of number junkies figured it out (and became rich because of it) their 'accomplishment' isn't something worth applauding, and greed isn't going anywhere.
