Mr. Movie: ‘The Big Short’ is one of year’s best

The Big Short is complicated. But so are the causes of the nation’s housing bubble and the increasingly unstable bond markets, banks and credit default swaps that almost undid the nation’s — and the world’s — economy when that bubble finally burst in early 2007.

Give credit to director Adam McKay and his Ant-Man co-writer partner Charles Randolph for turning complex into clever, and for doing a pretty good job of explaining the unexplainable. How they help you understand the mechanics of the meltdown includes descriptions of financial instruments, from Selena Gomez and super model and actress Margo Robbie.

The movie is based on the true story of how a few traders figured out the bubble’s mechanics and shorted bonds, which assured them billions in profits while directing the pin to the balloon that would eventually pop the bubble.

Christian Bale and Steve Carell picked up Golden Globe nominations, and Bale grabbed a supporting actor Screen Actors Guild nod, as did the cast for outstanding performance by a cast. The Big Short also got best picture and screenwriting nominations. It’s that good.

Both are wonderful, but Bale plays the type of character he has done before, while Carell continues to chart new career territory. Equally good are Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Marisa Tomei.

On the negative side, the movie only focuses on the greed of these traders and the banks, and blames them for the Great Recession. What is missed is the government’s role and how congressional action a few years before almost assured housing would encounter a big short.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie: ‘The Big Short’ is one of year’s best."