DUMB MONEY is based on the true story of how the rich get richer by screwing over the little guy. I know very little about the stock market before going into this film. After watching Dumb Money I still have no idea how the market works. I just know that the system is broken. But what else is new?
The film is all about the Game Stop Stock explosion that took place a few years ago. Basically, Keith Gill (Paul Dano), a YouTube dude with a very limited knowledge of stocks decided to buy Game Stop stock and some others followed. Keith became an internet sensation on a reddit page with his investment posts. Somehow his posts encouraged a bunch of other regular people to buy and hold. The Game Stop stock skyrocketed. Good news for them. Bad news for the hedge fund billionaires who wanted it to tank so they could make money.
I don’t know enough about the market to even explain what happens in the movie. Basically the big guys rallied to defeat the little guys. And almost did. Well, some did. But it brought the system under scrutiny which I guess is a win?
Paul Dano is one of my favorite actors, and in my opinion one of the most undervalued. He captures GIll’s mannerisms and low key persona nicely. The film also stars Shailene Woodley, America Ferrera, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, and a few other heavy hitters. Not a bad cast so you know you will get some pretty solid performances.
The story is solid even if I was confused most of the time. It reminded me of The Big Short. Another film that showed how everything is set up for the rich to get richer. This one is not as good a movie, and the editing and soundtrack choice really take away from the film. Not sure what director Craig Gillespie was trying to create, but he could have just told the story. I am sure he was more interested in reaching the reddit fans more than an old film critic. So I get it.
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