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I love it when a movie is timely and relevant. I refer to\u00a0The Social Network<\/em><\/a>, the 2010 origin film about the social phenomenon of Facebook. This social media platform had been made available to the public less than four years earlier. Aaron Sorokin and David Fincher worked magic to create such a masterpiece quickly. I still maintain that\u00a0The\u00a0<\/i>King’s\u00a0Speech<\/i><\/a>\u00a0beating\u00a0The Social Network<\/em><\/a>\u00a0for Best Picture was one of the biggest shams in Oscar history. It showed just how antiquated and set in their ways The Academy had become. While Craig Gillespie’s (I, Tonya<\/a>,\u00a0Lars and the Real Girl<\/a><\/em>)\u00a0Dumb Money<\/em>\u00a0is not entirely on the same level as\u00a0The Social Network<\/em><\/a>, its timely significance cannot be overlooked. Though in a completely different way, the events in\u00a0Dumb Money<\/em>\u00a0are (to many individuals, organizations, and sectors) as impactful as to those in\u00a0The Social Network<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It was just two years ago when the skyrocketing stock of GameStop Corp (GME) shattered the airwaves of not just every investment talk show, website, vlog, etc., but also receiving attention from the national evening news broadcasts and front pages of national and international newspapers. GameStop is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer. For the last couple dozen years, they have been a mainstay at indoor and outdoor strip malls across the United States. In the first quarter of 2021, GME stock shot up from $4.50 per share to $81.25 in four weeks. The percentage increase was unheard of for a stock devalued so much that the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, trading below $1 per share just one year prior. Something was happening, but exactly what? It’s a fantastic story of research, belief, risk, luck, trust, and a combined want to stick it to Wall Street.<\/p>\n
While you don’t have to completely know the ins and outs of the stock market to understand this film, it does help to understand a couple of terms many investors might need to familiarize themselves with. The first is\u00a0Short Selling<\/strong>.<\/p>\n That was precisely what Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen –\u00a050\/50<\/a>,\u00a0The Disaster Artist<\/a><\/em>), founder of hedge fund Melvin Capital, does early in the film, noticing a slight rise in the share price early in January 2021, believing it to be a couple of people who had bought many shares that temporarily elevated the price. Without a moment’s hesitation, Plotkin short-sold a considerable part of his portfolio, which ultimately resulted in him being the film’s most significant money loser (this is seen in the film’s trailer).<\/p>\n Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood,\u00a0Love & Mercy<\/a><\/em>), the film’s lead, commands the screen as Keith Gill, a financial analyst at Mass Mutual by day and Reddit\/YouTube channel personality (under the handle Roaring Kitty) by night. Keith entertained as much as he educated and took more than his fair share of losses along the way. He held the belief that the Market was underestimating GameStop’s growth prospects and had the potential to expand its digital capabilities and keep its 60 million loyal customers while incorrectly predicting that the company would go bankrupt, which was something that Plotkin and fellow hedge fund manager Steve Cohen (Vincent D’Onofrio –\u00a0Full Metal Jacket, The Player<\/em>) thought was foolish. Thus started our battle of the small investor vs. Wall Street bully, David vs. Goliath, or even good vs. evil to some. The charts, tables, simulations, predictors, and history suggested that the stock would go in one direction. Keith and his followers bucked the trend.<\/p>\n Though Keith’s initial following was relatively small, he invested $53,000 (most of his life savings) into the stock. His community followed\u00a0and began investing what they could into GameStop, resulting in a\u00a0Short Squeeze<\/strong>\u00a0or a rapid increase in the price of a stock owing primarily to an excess of short selling of a stock. A short squeeze occurs when there is a lack of supply and excess demand for the stock due to short sellers having to buy stocks to cover their short positions. This results in short sellers, such as Plotkin and Cohn, needing to pay for those borrowed shares at prices that put their companies in jeopardy of failure. Their potential debt continues to stockpile as Keith, along with the support of his wife Caroline (Shailene Woodley –\u00a0Snowden<\/a>,\u00a0Adrift<\/a><\/em>), continues to invest in GameStop instead of selling his shares after he has made millions and millions of dollars. Those following him do the same.<\/p>\n Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island<\/a>, Bodies Bodies Bodies<\/em>) is Keith’s brother Kevin, a Lyft driver who still lives in his parent’s home and borrows his brother’s car without asking him first. He also serves as the film’s primary comic relief and does a great job of simplifying what is happening. Often, we learn of a new stock term or necessary information supply through first-hand accounts. Because of the steep learning curve for many unfamiliar with the stock market, Kevin will re-explain it, often to his and Keith’s parents, in simple terms.<\/p>\n What Gillespie does best is spread the wealth. Each character is allotted their share of screen time to tell their story effectively. Gillespie does a lot of this through Keith’s followers, who are people all around the country whose lives don’t overlap and who never have nor will ever meet Keith. This includes Jenny Campbell (America Ferrera (Barbie<\/a>, Lords of Dogtown<\/em>), a nurse and single mother in Pittsburgh who takes Keith’s advice to earn enough to support herself and her sons. Marcos Garcia (Anthony Ramos (In the Heights, Hamilton<\/em>) is an honest employee at a GameStop store whose ideals are different from his demanding, unsympathetic boss, who pushes him to sell the priciest items, regardless if that’s what it is in the best interest of the customer. There are also Harmony (Talia Ryder (Never Rarely Sometimes Always<\/a>, Do Revenge<\/em>) and Riri (Myha’la Herrold (Bodies Bodies Bodies, Leave the World Behind<\/em>), college students who meet and bond around their investment in the company.<\/p>\n Because the likes of Plotkin, Cohn, and many others in their profession can’t take the loss of this particular stock (or any other attempts of this being done in the future), they and their parent companies try to go through many exhaustive (illegal and illegal) means to minimize their losses from their nightmare scenario. Gillespie gives us an inside look at the shadiness that took place throughout 2021 and, without being preachy, delivers a scathing message about Wall Street.<\/p>\n The storytelling and editing are the film’s biggest strengths. Gillespie shows expertise with his in-and-out glimpses of each of a dozen or so characters throughout the timeline. At various times, we will get a subtitle on the screen next to a given character’s name that tells us of their net worth at that point. This allows us to root for and against certain characters even more as we anticipate the ending we hope for. The ebb and flow of the movie is done in the style of an Adam McKay (The Big Short<\/a>,\u00a0<\/i>Don’t\u00a0Look Up<\/i><\/a>,\u00a0<\/i>Vice<\/a>) movie, but with a more objective lens. Dumb Money is 105 minutes of educational entertainment. Add in performances from (Nick Offerman –\u00a0The Founder<\/em><\/a>, NBC’s\u00a0Parks and Recreation<\/em>), Sebastian Stan (Avengers: Infinity War<\/a>,\u00a0The Martian<\/a><\/em>), and Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption<\/em><\/a>,\u00a099 Homes<\/em><\/a>) that aren’t even included in this review, and you have a one of the few must-see films of 2023.<\/p>\n Plot 9\/10 Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie<\/strong><\/p>\n https:\/\/thecinemaholic.com\/movies-like-dumb-money\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I love it when a movie is timely and relevant. I refer to\u00a0The Social Network, the 2010 origin film about the social phenomenon of Facebook. This social media platform had been made available to the public less than four years earlier. Aaron Sorokin and David Fincher worked magic to create such a masterpiece quickly. I … Continue reading Dumb Money (2023)<\/span> \n
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\nCharacter Development 9\/10
\nCharacter Chemistry 8.75\/10
\nActing 8\/10
\nScreenplay 8.5\/10
\nDirecting 9\/10
\nCinematography 8\/10
\nSound 7\/10 (much of the music had vulgar language that wasn’t needed, limited audiences, and made slightly less effective)
\nHook and Reel 9.25\/10
\nUniversal Relevance 9.5\/10
\n86%<\/p>\n\n