Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world’s hottest company.
Pam says
“Dumb Money” is based on the true story of how one man took on Wall Street and won. Not so many years ago, during the middle of Covid, GameStop (the video game store in every mall) stock was deemed “undervalued” by an everyday Joe named Keith Gill aka “Roaring Kitty.” Gill shared his financial insight on-line to all who would listen and as it turns out, there were plenty who did. In fact, there were so many that trusted in his wizardry that they invested in the stock as their mantra, “if he’s in, I’m in” helped them all become rich…for awhile.
Of course, with any David v Goliath story, especially in corporate America, there are plenty of “bad guys” who rear their ugly mugs to stomp on the little guys. “Dumb Money” takes us through the year-long journey as it focuses upon Jenny (America Ferrera), a nurse who is hooked on Gill’s rhetoric and invests what little she has, Marcus Barcia (Anthony Ramos) who wants to help his elderly parents have a better life, and two college roommates (Olivia Thirlby, Andrea Simons) with mountains of student debt.
We watch as the individuals react to the ups and downs (literally) of the stock prices and hedge fund CEOs the likes of Ken Griffin (Nick Offerman), Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen), and Vlad Tenev (Sebastian Stan) respond and retaliate from their ivory towers to the news the GameStop might just be their demise. But with any good story, fairytale or fact, we root for the common people to “stick it to the man” who has deep pockets and will go to any lengths to win.
If you weren’t aware of this story that happened just a couple of years ago, you’re not alone. Perhaps along with wearing my mask during Covid, I also had buried my head in the sand and was unaware of this situation which is too bad as I might have invested in this stock. It’s an interesting story, but told in a very one-dimensional style. Going into the film, I was hoping for more of a “The Big Short” style of storytelling; one that is informative, entertaining, and somehow taking a dire situation and making it relevant and humorous at times. “Dumb Money” is not this decade’s “The Big Short.”
The concept of the film is a complicated one and not easily explained, although the writers attempt to do this for our edification throughout the first half. When it finally clicks, we understand what our main characters are doing and why, but there’s an element of creativity that’s missing in this story. It feels as if we are always watching from the sidelines and never really involved in anyone’s personal life even as we get to know Keith’s brother Kevin, played by the incomparable Pete Davidson. Dano hones in on his character’s intellect and hometown roots, but Shailene Woodley’s character of his wife, Caroline, is completely underutilized and quite frankly, unbelievable. We needed more connection to these characters for more emotion.
One of the best parts of the film is the use of real footage of Capitol Hill testimony of the men who conspired to stop Roaring Kitty from finding a way to make it in this greed-driven game of chance. Additionally, seeing the real culprits’ faces at the end and finding out how the cards fell for everyone was icing on what was a good, but not a memorable cake.
3 Stars
