If there is one thing that Oliver Stone taught us in his film Wall Street, is that for the monks of high finance, all means are good to make money. One of these methods, little known to the uninitiated, consists of creating hedge funds whose growth depends not on the rise, but on the fall of a given stock. Thus, by betting on the bankruptcy of this or that company, it is possible for big players to pocket a fortune, often to the detriment of small investors. However, what would happen if they rebel against a system that disadvantages them? Based on a real case, Dumb Money (Stupidly rich) answers this question in a hilarious way.
This satirical comedy tells the improbable but true story of Keith Gill, better known on social networks under the pseudonyms Roaring Kitty and DeepFuckingValue. An irreverent financial analyst, Gill began producing videos on YouTube and Reddit about the financial health of the GameStop company, which he believed was underestimated by Wall Street.
Said videos, initially mocked, came to gain support to such an extent that the value of GameStop’s stock skyrocketed. This, to the great happiness of Mrs. and Mr. Everyman having invested their little nest egg, but to the great dismay of the extremely wealthy speculators having rather bet on the crushing of the value of the share.
Factual dimension
Looking more towards Tea Wolf of Wall Street (The wolf of Wall Street), by Martin Scorsese, than that of the aforementioned Oliver Stone classic, Dumb Money is based on a hyper-extensive screenplay by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo partly inspired by the book The Antisocial Network, by Ben Mezrich. Without adopting a documentary style, the film exudes a factual dimension which makes certain astonishing but, precisely, documented passages even funnier.
It must be said that as it stands, the story, with its colorful characters and its many unusual developments, constituted ideal basic material for director Craig Gillespie (with whom The duty spoke exclusively at TIFF). For the record, we owe him the equally squeaky one I, Tonya (Me, Tonya), a satirical docufiction starring Margot Robbie in the role of fallen skater Tonya Harding. Gillespie also held the bar for the fabulous, and biting, Cruellawith Emma Stone.
Among other talents, Gillespie knows how to extract every bit of (often dark) humor from situations that others might be more naturally inclined to treat seriously. This approach, in addition to generating many bursts of laughter, helps to keep the audience on their toes.
Indeed, we never really know what to expect. However, as we constantly laugh, we remain intrigued, and therefore captive.
Brio by Paul Dano
The hero, Keith Gill, is in this case the very incarnation of “theunderdog », beloved figure of the protagonist given a loser, but who manages to shine in adversity. Determined but humble, comical without trying to be, Gill is played by Paul Dano with all the discreet brilliance we know from him. We will never catch the actor histrionics, “buttering thickly” to get a smile or stand out.
Here, the star seen in There Will Be Blood (There will be blood), by Paul Thomas Anderson, 12 Years a Slave (Slave for twelve years), by Steve McQueen, Prisoners (Prisoners), by Denis Villeneuve, without forgetting, fleetingly, The Batman (The Batman), by Matt Reeves, offers an irresistible composition.
The actor also shares a great bond with Shailene Woodley, as a supportive wife, as well as with Pete Davidson, as an awkward brother.
Among billionaires, some of whom lost up to a billion US dollars per day, Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman and Sebastian Stan all follow the same guideline: increase the comic factor by relying on contrasting restraint. Captivating, the result is enjoyable, scathing, and what’s more, it has a good dose of justified outrage.