Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
GameStop stock story is informative, irreverent, profane.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Dumb Money
What's the Story?
In DUMB MONEY, Keith Gill (Paul Dano) is a low-level financial analyst and a part-time Redditor and YouTuber who likes to chat about the stock market. He explains to his viewers why he thinks GameStop is a good stock -- and, indeed, he has literally put his money where his mouth is, investing more than $50,000 of his and his wife Carlone's (Shailene Woodley) savings in the company. Meanwhile, wealthy hedge fund manager Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen) is trying to "short" the stock by betting against it, attempting to run the company out of business. Keith's posts start to gain traction, and several small-time and amateur investors -- including nurse Jenny (America Ferrera), GameStop store employee Marcus (Anthony Ramos), and in-debt college students Riri (Myha'la) and Harmony (Talia Ryder) -- begin to buy into GameStop, too. Soon these amateur investors make an actual dent in the market, stirring things up, increasing their wealth, and eventually prompting a congressional inquiry.
Is It Any Good?
This irreverent fact-based comedy miraculously makes its complex mechanics easily graspable, while its lovable, hilarious heroes help it avoid any whiff of seriousness or prestige. Directed by Craig Gillespie, Dumb Money has the same mischievous feel as his I, Tonya. It's told with a refreshing degree of snark, flying in the face of so many solemn, awards-ready, based-on-a-true-story movies. The film is busy and full of flash as it incorporates talking-head newscasters to pontificate on the stock market side of things, while a flood of Reddit memes represents the attitude of the GameStop fans, urging one another not to sell their increasingly valuable stock using mysterious terms like "diamond hands," "HODL," and "tendies."
But before it can induce headaches (as the similar The Big Short often did), Dumb Money returns to the characters: humble, everyday humans who just want a chance at life. On the flip side, there are, of course, villains. In addition to Rogen's Gill, Vincent D'Onofrio, Nick Offerman, and Sebastian Stan are snakily effective as loathsome billionaires, while Pete Davidson gives the movie a lift as Keith's numbskull brother (and the world's worst DoorDash driver). Dumb Money ultimately leaves off with a message of hope: Even if the game is rigged in favor of the uber-wealthy, there are still ways for rebels with causes to play.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how accurate you think Dumb Money is to what actually happened in real life. How do you suppose the filmmakers might have changed it to tell their version of the story?
The movie is set during the COVID-19 pandemic. How does it depict that time? How is death shown or discussed?
What did you learn about the stock market from watching this movie? Were you encouraged to learn more or invest money? Why, or why not?
Do you consider Keith Gill a role model? Why, or why not?
Did the heroes win here? Did the villains lose? What does this story look like moving forward?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 15, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : November 7, 2023
- Cast : Paul Dano , Pete Davidson , America Ferrera
- Director : Craig Gillespie
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studios : Columbia Pictures , Sony Pictures Releasing
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : pervasive language, sexual material, and drug use
- Last updated : May 3, 2024
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