Ben Mezrich’s book ‘The Antisocial Network’ is brought to the big screen with some amusing flair but less dramatic flourish and energy by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl). Using plenty of graphics to help convey the complexities in a seismic financial shift without an anti-capitalist screed.
Dumb Money referring to chump retail backers chronicles the 2021 GameStop stock phenomenon that exposed Wall Street machinations and insinuated insider information lives up to its title. Coming to a head with Congressional hearings at a time when the hysteria of the subject was still overshadowed by the pandemic.
Paul Dano (The Fabelmans) is the prime figure her as red-headband wearing Keith Gill, a low-level Brockton, Mass. financial analyst and YouTube/Reddit user whose enthusiasm with the video-game outlet in malls caused much jubilation and distress turning his life savings into an eight-figure profit.
Because of ordinary Keith’s passion in putting on a squeeze there became quite the movement through social media that affected those with staggering sums to those tolling to make ends meet. A David against Goliath tale emerges in a way that tries to correspond with more savvy decisions like The Big Short and The Social Network in feel-good fashion that isn’t very inspired. As it can be an amusing diversion through the scheme of many characters that often are to one-note.
Seth Rogen is on the incredulous, avaricious hedge fund side as Melvin Capital he’d Gabe Plotkin with the likes of Steven Cohen (Vincent D’Onofrio), and Ken Griffin (Nick Offerman) that effected the initial shorted loser stock.
Included on the domestic end for Gill are his supportive wife (Shailene Woodley), a slacker, hotheaded ‘first responder’ brother (Pete Davidson) and confused parents (Kate Burton, Clancy Brown). Not to mention the common folk in America Ferrera’s single-mom nurse, an indebted student (Talia Ryder), and a loyal GameStop clerk in for the chance to capitalized on a spirited recommendation.
What was intended as a tale full of determination, grit and on-line power portraying the moneyed few against the mass organization capabilities of the labored many is more of a lackluster than exciting tug-of-war tale in spit of how engaging the performers like and Rogen, for example, can be, it’s just not that heroic as you think from the standpoint of willful capitalists.