*** out of ****
Director Adam McKay's The Big Short chronicles the true story of the credit and housing bubble collapse in the mid-2000s and those in the high finance world who predicted it. Attempting to gain from the big banks lack of foresight were Michael Burry (Christian Bale in an oddball performance), Mark Baum (Steve Carell with a distracting hair piece) and Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling). Brad Pitt is also in the movie (and one of its producers) but doesn't have much screen time.
The Louisiana shot The Big Short is a complex and often convoluted comedy-drama about the world of finance. It's somewhat dull subject matter, but McKay, known for comedies like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and The Other Guys, knows it and delivers flashy and unconventional storytelling like often breaking the fourth wall or cutting to Margot Robbie in a bubble bath to have her explain to us certain banking lingo.
Still, the human element sometimes gets lost as this is occasionally hard to follow. It's also overcrowded with characters where many aren't given much to do. There are a few scenes with Marisa Tomei as Baum's wife, and it's pretty much a thankless role.
If you stick with it, however, The Big Short delivers a sad commentary on the lengths some will go in the name of greed, and how few get punished for it.
