Just as Adam McKay’s The Big Short and J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call were both films that tried (and succeeded) to change the complex events that led to the financial crisis of the late 2000s. Now, in his new film Dumb Money, Craig Gillespie attempts to replicate that success, but with a focus on the stock market, specifically the short squeeze involving GameStop and the now-iconic character Roaring Kitty. pressure.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years or so, this slightly crazy story about GameStop stock should be something you’ve heard in the news at some point. This is the story of how a group of small investors took on the sharks of Wall Street and actually won, a classic David and Goliath story shaped with modern sensibilities. Inevitably, Hollywood was also unable to film these events. The question then becomes, is Dumb Money worth your time?
Here we follow Paul Dano as Keith Gill, or Roaring Kitty – the alias that made him a global celebrity. He lives with his wife and children and hopes to one day get rich from his thin stock portfolio. Small savings are also his main passion outside of work, and through online forums like Reddit and Twitch, he openly discusses his investments with anyone who will listen. His big bet is GameStop, a stock he believes is severely undervalued.
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On the other side of the coin, we find Wall Street sharks and their fund managers betting heavily on GameStop, anticipating its inevitable decline. By all accounts, it’s what should happen; after all, it’s the most logical outcome for the company. But as small investors gathered strength and began buying GameStop in increasing numbers, problems began to pile up on the horizon, billions of dollars were out of balance, and panic began to spread among investors.
There’s no doubt that Dumb Money is fun, and Gillespie’s film is a well-rounded, stylish craft that offers a more digestible version of real life. Dumb Money cleverly distills many of the more cumbersome concepts that might typically be associated with stocks, while also skipping over much of the market’s complexity. Instead, the focus is more on the smaller characters, and we get to follow a few others besides lead character Keith Gill.
These are people who dream, want to break out of their everyday lives, and dare to hope for bigger things. What they all have in common is that they were exposed to and interested in Roaring Kitty and his investment in GameStop in some way, becoming part of the movement and illustrating what anchors the film emotionally. On the other side of the coin, we also get an inside look at the money managers betting on GameStop, led by Seth Rogen, who are being played to perfection, even if they happen to be very unique caricatures.
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The ensemble acting is one of Dumb Money’s greatest strengths, although many scenes and characters have little connection to each other beyond a shared interest in GameStop stock. They’re all fascinating little stories in their own right, whether it’s a wealthy, spoiled billionaire whose life is turned upside down, or a lonely nurse who refuses to sell and dreams of change.
It’s surprisingly subtle and understated, without sensationalism or embedded messages about the evils of capitalism. Dumb Money will hardly go down in history as a cinematic revelation, but with strong performances and often surprisingly engaging characters, Gillespie delivers a fun and well-balanced film that neither makes viewers feel stupid nor Bury yourself in technical jargon.
