The Big Short

89%

Tomatometer

329 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In 2008, Wall Street guru Michael Burry realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing market by throwing more than $1 billion of his investors' money into credit default swaps. His actions attract the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and other greedy opportunists. Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America. Read More Read Less

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Critics Consensus

The Big Short approaches a serious, complicated subject with an impressive attention to detail -- and manages to deliver a well-acted, scathingly funny indictment of its real-life villains in the bargain.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... it wreaks of self-important pseudo-commentary that is more hollow and garishly humorous than it cares to admit.

Rated: D

Sep 1, 2017

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

While The Big Short is hardly uplifting, it still manages to tell a rambunctiously funny tale that's as informative as it is entertaining, humor walking hand-in-hand with tragedy to ultimately craft a comedy that's impossible to dismiss.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 16, 2016

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Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

Adam McKay's The Big Short plays like an elaborate con, albeit one that uses its powers for good.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 12, 2016

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Headlined by a star-studded cast, this legitimate must-see film tip-toes audaciously between biting satire and topical cautionary tale. You won't know whether to be pissed or be entertained and that's a powerful quality to pull off.

Rated: 5/5

Feb 16, 2024

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

'The Big Short' is the film that we needed at this time.

Aug 27, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Trying to keep up with all of the fast market talk and financial blather wore me down. And there’s so much emphasis on it that the movie comes off as overstuffed and missing the human element which would have given it a more powerful punch.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 19, 2022

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Audience Reviews

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Twiggy H Rated highly purely because of great actor selection and well written film...as for the story itself, if actual or based close enough, really sh*tty because the one segment where an attempt at being 'heroic' was actually not (when the two dudes go to blow the news with a journalist, except it's not a public news outlet, it was to 'their buddies' in stock accounting *eye roll*). Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Dan B The movie is an absolutely must see.. Especially for those that want to understand at least a little bit about what happened in the American economic collapse and the housing crisis along with loans from big Banks and how the average American citizen ended up paying the consequences in losing their jobs and their homes and their pensions from fraudulent practices of these big Banks.. But worst is the fact that ultimately we The American People ended up literally paying trillions of dollars in taxes to bail out these corrupted banks when they failed because of their corrupted ways!! Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/27/24 Full Review S P Terrific movie, give a good global overview of the events that lead to the 2008, great acting and engaging scenes. The fact that it's based on true characters makes it that much more of a gem. A great way to learn about a complex problem in a easy way. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/21/24 Full Review Jonas S This movie is a great telling of the oringinal story. It may exaggerate some parts and completely change a few others but those moments only happen when it would otherwise be hard to develop the story. (Different events happening at different times) if it all was completely accurate i think the movie would’ve dragged on. It’s an roller coaster through the whole film that is exciting to watch! Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/16/24 Full Review Stacey Good movie want to watch it every time I visit cinema next time. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/03/24 Full Review faye m Who would have known a film about shorting stocks would be so entertaining? This film certainly breaks boundaries when it comes to business - It was casted and directed brilliantly, resulting in an enjoyable and informative masterpiece. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/26/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Big Short

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Cast & Crew

Adam McKay Director Steve Carell Mark Baum Ryan Gosling Jared Vennett Christian Bale Michael Burry Brad Pitt Ben Rickert Marisa Tomei Cynthia Baum

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The Big Short

The Big Short: Official Clip - I Want My Money Back