“You have any idea what you just did? You just bet against the American economy. Which means, if we’re right, people lose homes, people lose jobs, people lose retirement savings, people lose pensions. You know what I hate about f–king banking? It reduces people to numbers.”
I expected something more jokey from Adam McKay. There are laughs, but the real triumph is McKay slipping on Scorsese shoes and finding they’re a comfortable fit. He’s not at the level of the master, but he shakes off his improv comedy director label and gets a lot more right than wrong, including making sense of the housing market collapse while keeping story points and cast bubbling like a smooth cocktail. McKay takes a difficult subject that could easily be as dull and confusing as an accounting seminar and he keeps it all clear and popping along for two hours with a cast of seasoned pros, some new faces and celebrity cameos. (The Margot Robbie scene is a cheap shot, but Anthony Bourdain and Selena Gomez are highlights.)
The film brings out the best in a few actors worth mentioning. Christian Bale gets to pile on the quirks (like a fake eye), Ryan Gosling gets to be the coolest guy in the room, Brad Pitt is stern and level-headed, but it’s Steve Carell who comes out on top. He brings an unusual voice, a strange haircut and a bullish attitude that would make Paul Giamatti step back. Usually, these types of mannerisms work against Carell, turning him into a sketch comedy creation, but here he gets that extra level deeper to where it all comes together to help free him, and in the end, this is the character McKay gets you to feel sorry for. At least among these opportunists.
Leave A Comment