THE BIG SHORT: A Review

I saw THE BIG SHORT about a week ago and I finally have the time to sit down and write about it! I walked out of the film with one main thought: That was truly a very important film. Since then I have seen two other Oscar nominees and I am beginning to see a trend. Many of the films this year are very important. They were made to show us something we have miscalculated or let ourselves forget about. THE BIG SHORT specifically is about the big mortgage shortage of 2007. Remember when the market crashed and everyone spun out into chaos? Well this film is about the small number of people that predicted the crash and actually made a significant amount of money off of it.

The film reads a lot like a documentary and utilizes many techniques that the modern documentary relies on: stock footage, sound bites, etc. This really played into the feel of the film because it made it seem more realistic. For me that enhanced its overall effect on me and how I will now look at my finances.

We know that Christian Bale was nominated for this film, and I would be amiss if I said he didn't deserve it; he did do a great job. But remember my Oscar Nomination blog, when I mentioned that I wasn't surprised by this year's nominees, well I have to take that back. Steve Carell's performance blew me away. In terms of who should have gotten nominated for Oscar's this year, Carell should be added to the list. However, from the political standpoint, I am not too surprised he didn't get nominated. I feel like many people overlook actors like him when it comes to the Oscars. What was so great about his performance was he was the only one I truly believed, everyone else I saw as acting (yes, even Bale).

Overall I thought this was a great film. At times it might be difficult to understand, but they try their best to make the economics of the film clear. Because this is such an important film for society today I feel like most people should watch it at some point in their early adulthood.

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