I had a bad feeling about this one as soon as I saw it. The trailer didn’t look too promising and I just don’t like Pete Davidson. I don’t know why exactly as he seems like a cool guy who loves to get high, just like me. However, the true story behind the movie and the lack of any other good ones made me check it out last night. And I can tell you right now that Dumb Money is a movie worth watching. While the main attraction is the stranger-than-fiction true story of an underdog beating the odds, the performances as well as the general atmosphere were just as good. The movie has this vibrant and upbeat vibe about it. Although I think they were trying too hard to be “cool and relevant”.
That’s why during the first half of the movie we will hear no less than six popular songs. These montages sometimes come off as cringy and sometimes work really well. Due to this relatively quirky storytelling Dumb Money almost feels like a new breed of a made-for-TV movie. However, it does something incredibly well. It explains the whole GameStop short squeeze thing in layman’s terms. So, if you’re interested in what really happened and don’t want to watch some boring ass documentary or video on YouTube, this movie is a perfect choice. And as soon as I said that, you probably thought of another movie that came out several years ago.
You’re thinking of Adam McKay’s The Big Short, starring an ensemble cast consisting of such icons as Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Brad Pitt. Sprinkle a bit of The Social Network and you’ve got yourself quite a movie. I think they were going for a similar vibe just with an additional element of hope. I will talk about that later because first I want to focus on the cast of Dumb Money. In the lead role, we have Paul Dano, a very underappreciated actor who plays a normal good guy for a change. I remember him from one of my favorite movies Little Miss Sunshine, although he was in a lot of good movies. Most recently he played Riddler in Batman.
If I’m being honest, Pete Davidson was good as his slacker brother. Seth Rogen provided a nice counterbalance to him. I’m also sure you’re going to recognize most of the supporting cast. They play a variety of ordinary people who find themselves in a huge moral and monetary dilemma. And I love any movie that focuses on the little guy and mentions class warfare. All of this makes the movie quite relatable as you can constantly ask yourself questions about what would you do in that situation. Do you remember the COVID pandemic? It simultaneously feels like it was ages and months ago.
Well, since most of this story happens during 2021, you’re going to be seeing a lot of reminders of that global event that touched us all. Dumb Money also features a lot of real news reports and interviews. This adds to the authenticity of the story and further immerses you in it. I especially loved the real clips they played during the end credits. Something director Craig Gillespie used in his previous movie based on true events, I, Tonya. So, if you’re looking for something similar, you might want to check it out. As both a gamer and a hater of Wall Street and all those rich corporate assholes, I followed the GameStop stock event as it unfolded in real life.
So, before we go any further, I must warn you that minor spoilers are inbound. Although I think you kind of already figured out what’s going to happen in the end. Let’s just say that despite all the positive energy and good vibes, the bad guys are going to win. All of this just goes to show you how much the system is really rigged. How the rich get richer and the poor get poorer in this tribal world of ours. Just like in The Big Short. I have mixed feelings about this movie. On the one hand, I like how it can serve as an inspiration and even a guide for people who want to do something. And on the other hand, it kind of gives this feeling of false hope. What do you think, tell me in the comments below.
Director: Craig Gillespie
Writers: Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo, Ben Mezrich
Cast: Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen, Anthony Ramos, America Ferrera, Myha’la, Sebastian Stan
Fun Facts: The real Ken Griffin, hedge fund manager played by Nick Offerman tried everything to get his character out of this movie. He even send threatening letters to both the production and Offerman himself.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13957560/
