GameStop. I like the stock!
That proclamation not only provided a source of much-needed entertainment for sequestered souls looking to stick it to the man during the pandemic, it also made millionaires out of some, bankrupted others, and caused the game rental company’s stock to rise some 30 fold. But most important of all, it made Wall Street realize that dismissing the human aspect of stock trading comes with a huge risk.
It was the real life GameStop short squeeze of 2021 and it has been made into a film called Dumb Money, written by Wall Street reporters Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo.
The film is a fascinating account of the insane but true story that pitted a ragtag team of Reddit followers against the financial giants of Wall Street in a David vs. Goliath showdown. Directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya), the film never gets bogged down in the complexities of the stock market and investing, but rather focuses its attention on the difficult conversations about dreams, aspiration, greed and luck.
Paul Dano is the hero of the story as regular guy Keith Gill - also known by his internet name, Roaring Kitty, a laid back family man and stock day trader who nearly sinks the stock market by pouring his life savings into GameStop stock and posting videos about it to a reddit chat board. His fondness for the company’s stock, coupled with the following of a pack of ravenous Redditors, causes the price to skyrocket, which in turn, quickly gets the attention of not only Wall Street big wigs who put big money on its loss, hoping it would continue to flop, but Congress itself which launches an inquiry.
One of Gillespie’s biggest strengths with his Dumb Money, the title of which comes from the contemptuous term institutional investors refer to day traders, is the way he is able to convey the high-stakes nature of the financial world, even to those who may not fully understand the intricacies of the Wall Street machine. His loose and fluid direction keeps the tension palpable, while still making crystal clear, the weight of what’s on the line for both sides. As viewers, we can't help but become emotionally invested in the outcome - even though we already know how it ends, and that's a testament to the film's storytelling prowess.
At the heart of Dumb Money’s success though, is an outstanding performance by Paul Dano, who portrays the calm and lovable everyman at the center of the story. Dano's character is the embodiment of the working schmuck who dreams of something more, and his portrayal is nothing short of excellent. He effortlessly draws the audience into his character's world and elicits empathy and support from us all. Dano's performance is a true highlight of the film, and he carries it with a sense of authenticity that is truly commendable.
As Gill’s apprehensive wife, is Shaileen Woodley, whose only role, sadly, is to ask “should we sell or continue to hold,” while Seth Rogen, Vincent D’Nofrio, and Nick Offerman play big wig institutional investors who are continually on their phones asking for more money, yelling at someone about losing more money, or being served ice-cold cocktails on silver platters as they watch their investments go down the drain. Pete Davidson feels way out of place as Gill’s stoner brother. It’s hard to imagine Davidson failing to pull off the role of a slacker, but he doesn’t. He’s just silly, over the top, and unlikable.
Dumb Money is an absolute crowd-pleaser that manages to turn the complexities of Wall Street into a highly entertaining yet accessible story. Gillespie, along with the talented screenwriters and the exceptional performance of Paul Dano, has crafted a movie that explores the universal themes of dreams and ambition while also reminding us that there’s a lot of power in the bottom 99%.
MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 105 mins
Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Lauren Schuker Blum; Rebecca Angelo; Ben Mezrich
Cast: Paul Dano; Pete Davidson; Vincent D'Onofrio
Genre: Comedy | Biography
Tagline: Based on the insane true story.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I like the stock"
Theatrical Distributor: Sony Pictures
Official Site: https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/dumbmoney
Release Date: September 22, 2023
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world's hottest company.
