The Big Short

Adam McKay is known primarily for directing great/silly Will Ferrell comedies (Anchorman, Step Brothers, The Other Guys). However, his new insightful drama film, The Big Short, is unlike anything he has accomplished before.

Based on the non-fiction book by Michael Lewis (Moneyball) about the financial crisis between 2007 and 2010, the film follows a group of disparate individuals who foresaw the impending global collapse and thus developed risky financial plans that would reveal the social injustices that banks brought on average citizens.

Producer Brad Pitt stated that this is "a story that needs to be told because nothing has changed". It's densely layered, a film with a mission that invites audiences to see what truly happened — the unfair cost — and becomes a worldwide warning to everyone who thinks it won't be happening again. The film's drawback is it's convoluted jargon/explanations. To McKay's credit, he uses his talent for comedy to smooth explanations of most things, a strong part of what is a strong script also with layered characterisations.

The ensemble cast enjoys playing against type. Christian Bale relishes in his slacker oddball (glass eye and all), Steve Carell is a solid dramatic mix of passion and anguish, Ryan Gosling basks in comedic sleaze and Brad Pitt is nicely low-key in his own sublime quirkiness.

Overall, it's an interesting, complex film overloaded with information. It should impress over time.