The Big Short Movie Poster Image

The Big Short

age 16+
(i)

 

Finance dramedy turns complex ideas into gripping cinema.
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  • Review Date: December 11, 2015
  • Rated: R
  • Genre: Drama
  • Release Year: 2015
  • Running Time: 130 minutes

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What parents need to know

Positive messages

Mixed messages; the characters profit hugely as the economy crumbles, but their story also shows how It's tough to be the first person to realize something important, because everyone else will be convinced you're mistaken or crazy. It's also hard to stand by your position in the face of consistent opposition; it's all too easy to start to doubt yourself. 

Positive role models

Although they bet against the housing market and reap huge gains as the economy crumbles, the main characters are portrayed as smart enough to realize that something is dangerously amiss in the global financial system, confident enough to place huge bets on their idea, and tough enough to defend a position that was initially losing money, with everyone telling them they're fools.

Violence

Heated exchanges between people who are losing lots of money. References to personal loss, including via suicide.

Sex

A few scenes that take place in strip clubs feature topless/half-dressed women. 

Language

Frequent swearing throughout, mainly "f--k," "a--hole," and "s--t."

Consumerism

Many well-established financial companies are mentioned, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Countrywide, Bank of America, JPMorgan, and more, with a special focus on Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. Mac and Dell computers, BlackBerry and Nokia mobile devices, Bloomberg terminals. Discussion of the high-end restaurant Nobu. Caesar's Palace. 

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Several scenes are set in bars, restaurants, and nightclubs where people are drinking. Some sequences show people celebrating big financial deals with liquor. 

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Big Short is based on the bestselling book by Michael Lewis. It follows the story of several investors (played by Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt) who were among the first to spot warning signs in the real estate market that triggered the global financial meltdown of 2008. By betting against the housing market, they managed to reap huge gains as the economy crumbled, leaving millions out of work and homeless -- which might make some viewers feel pretty conflicted about rooting for them. There's some raucous drinking, plenty of strong language (mainly "f--k" and "s--t"), and glimpses of topless strippers/exotic dancers in this finance-themed dramedy, which is best suited for adults and older teens.

What's the story?

The years leading up to the global financial meltdown of 2008 were filled with financial exuberance, as Wall Street firms made billions trading bonds made up of residential mortgages. A handful of investors smelled something amiss, eventually realizing it was all a house of cards that would inevitably crumble. Their bets against these bonds, THE BIG SHORT, eventually paid off hugely -- but only when the entire U.S. economy fell apart, leaving millions homeless and unemployed. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt star as the skeptical investors, all based on real people who were featured in Michael Lewis' best-selling book of the same name. 

Is it any good?

QUALITY

The Big Short is a flashy, quick-witted, and, yes, entertaining film about the housing and banking collapse. But it might just be a little too entertaining, a little too funny for a film that’s so sobering. You laugh at all the asides -- and they are funny, though perhaps not all of them were necessary -- and then feel terrible for laughing.  (Though we really did enjoy the celebrity-cameo-filled footnotes that explained the dizzying banking and investment maneuvers and products that basically undid the economy.)

Then again, nervous laughter may just be an appropriate response to a movie about how a small group of outsiders identified a weakness in a system high on arrogance and avarice -- a system that, unfortunately, had such weight that, when it toppled, it took so many innocent and not-so-innocent souls with it. Ultimately, The Big Short is whip smart, supported by a script that manages to educate while it amuses. And then there's the powerhouse cast, led by a brilliant Bale as a doctor-turned-hedge-fund-manager who has an ease with numbers and an unease with people.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about greed. Why were so many banks and bankers so eager to keep selling the mortgage bonds that they must have suspected were flawed? Did the huge profits make everything seem acceptable? 

  • How does the film explain very complex financial concepts? Did you learn anything new about Wall Street? Do you think this was an effective way to give viewers a sense of what was happening? 

  • How does this based-on-a-true-story film compare to other movies set in the financial world, including the ones that are all fiction (Wall Street) and others that are also based on real events (The Wolf of Wall Street)? How accurate do you think The Big Short is to what actually happened? Why might filmmakers change some facts?

  • How is drinking portrayed? Is it glamorized? Do characters face any consequences?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:December 11, 2015
DVD release date:March 15, 2016
Cast:Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell
Director:Adam McKay
Studio:Paramount Pictures
Genre:Drama
Topics:History
Run time:130 minutes
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity
Awards/Honors:Academy Award

This review of The Big Short was written by

S. Jhoanna Robledo
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Quality

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  • Best: Really engaging; great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging; good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging; good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging; OK learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Adult Written byterra100 January 5, 2016
age 18+

Very important film for all adults

This is such an important film. It's an entertaining but also serious look at how the housing crisis and global economic meltdown happened. It's actually quite educational. It's a warning to all of us to not let it happen again. The educational value alone makes this film worth watching. Christian Bale's character work does not disappoint. Steve Carrell is also a very interesting character in his dramatic role, more for the commitment to character and character arc transitions that he offers. This film is definitely for adults. It has A LOT of bad language -- A LOT, but it is all character/setting driven (if that's any consolation). There are a couple of fleeting, short snippets of nudity -- not much. I have clicked that this film has a "great message" because it is a cautionary tale -- based on true events; and the caution and education about the 2007-2010 era (which still affects us all, unless you're in the top 1% of money on this planet) is a healthy reminder that greed and ignorance have no good results. This is a good conversation to have among adults about the "system" and the decisions that we make within this "system" can have bad or good consequences for us. I have not clicked "great role models" because virtually everyone in the film is caught up in the perversity of Wall Street. The only good thing about that is that you see just how perverse it is -- you're educated on what happened (and still is happening) in the markets to bring down the economy.
What other families should know
Great messages
Too much swearing
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Teen, 17 years old Written byStevie111 January 4, 2016
age 16+

Fairly well made, but overlong and it is definitely not a "Comedy" at all

This had very dramatic themes and content and is definitely not at all a comedy. I will say it had some funny elements that did make me laugh, but this is a drama. I did find it to be fairly well made, but none of the acting wowed me except for Steve Carrell. He was good, but still not great. Overall I thought it was a decent movie, but nothing spectacular. It was also a bit hard to follow with all of the elements pulling together. There is stronger language, but average stuff for an R rated film. There is also some sexuality and nudity in a strip club, but it isn't too graphic. I'm not going to steer anyone away from this movie because it isn't bad, but it is not the best of the year by any means.
What other families should know
Too much sex
Too much swearing
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Parent Written byDrkat February 7, 2016
age 13+

Real great film, a complex subject well presented

If you're not worried about bad language and mild nudity this film holds no worries - other than the complexity of the issue. The film is done in a way to make it understandable enough for any teenager patient enough to pay attention!
What other families should know
Great messages
Too much swearing
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