Movie Review: The Big Short

Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling are among the star-studded cast in the financial-crisis comedy The Big Short.

The true tale of four finance guys who predicted the downfall of America's credit and housing bubble collapse, sparking what became the 2007 Global Financial Crisis, is depicted in this brilliant film by Adam McKay.

There are heavyweight actors headlining this movie, all with their own story to tell, but usual funny guy Steve Carrell is a standout in his electric performance as brash, angry do-gooder Mark Baum.

If you didn't know the film was based on true events, you'd think the casting guys had gone way too far with their characters, some of whom seem almost cartoon-like.

I guess the old adage 'truth is stranger than fiction' is more than appropriate here.

Christian Bale, who plays awkward brain box Michael Burry, smashing out Metallica on the drums is one of the many highlights to this film.

Each of the actors does a brilliant job portraying Wall St rats and traders and showcasing the lack of humanity behind one of the biggest money downfalls in history.

But the film is not for everyone. It is fast-paced and loaded up with financial jargon to such a point you could struggle to follow things if you've had a hard day at the office.

In saying that, the movie is peppered with splices of odd but incredibly useful tips and cameos that spell out jargon in layman terms. *Spoiler alert: this includes Margot Robbie in a bathtub.

You want to have your wits about you with this movie, because it has an incredible story to tell and it does it brilliantly.

The Big Short delves into the murky and convoluted inner workings of the world's banking systems at the time and exposes it for what it was - fraud.

It has avoided the paint-by-numbers template of Big Hollywood and brought in more of a documentary flavour which helps remind you that this all really happened.

And in some of the stranger circumstances, big-time banker Jared Vennett (played by Ryan Gosling) who narrates parts of the movie looks at the camera and tells you 'this all really happened'.

The Big Short is incredibly clever, well depicted and certainly not your run-of-the-mill movie. It might not be one for the kids or a lazy Sunday but definitely a must-see.

The Big Short
Directed by Adam McKay