Dumb Money is a 2023 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Cruella), from a script by Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo, based on the book The Antisocial Network: The GameStop Short Squeeze and the Ragtag Group of Amateur Traders That Brought Wall Street to Its Knees by Ben Mezrich. The film chronicles the GameStop short squeeze from January 2021. Teddy Schwarzman, Aaron Ryder, and Gillespie served as producers for the project.

The talented cast includes Paul Dano (The Batman, Little Miss Sunshine), Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Infinity War), Seth Rogen (Superbad, This Is the End), and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island, Bodies Bodies Bodies).

Dumb Money made its debut in limited theaters on September 22nd, before its wide release on September 29th courtesy of Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Releasing.

THE GOOD

It feels like the GameStop stock fiasco just happened yesterday, and to say they got this movie made crazy fast would be an understatement considering it took just over two years after everything transpired back in late 2020, early 2021. Admittedly I didn’t have my ear to the ground as far as the world of Reddit when this all happened, but when things began to ramp up a buddy of mine reached out and I was instantly intrigued for obvious reasons. I didn’t have the balls to invest, still kicking myself for that to be honest, but the entire situation was nuts and I remember thinking they will no doubt make a movie about this.

As I mentioned in the intro the film is based on the book by Ben Mezrich which was published in September 2021, where he does a fantastic job chronicling the roller coaster ride of events. My initial impression was that Dumb Money felt very similar to 2015’s The Big Short, which told the story of the 2008 housing crisis. I knew for some time that the film was in the works, and when I saw the first trailer my excitement level was at a 10 considering the cast and feel of the film. So, was Dumb Money as good as I hoped it would be or just another attempt to cash in on a crazy story? Keep reading to find out!

I absolutely loved this movie! Dumb Money is just so much fun as it tells this wild story with a ridiculously talented cast playing genuinely relatable characters. They crushed it with the casting decisions, and I personally thoroughly enjoyed each and every character. The film carries a comedic tone pretty much throughout and I loved how upbeat it was for the majority of the film. I really liked how they told the story through humor and even added in a few heartfelt moments, but more than anything it all felt authentic. Whether you know the story or go in blind, you will be entertained that I can guarantee. Dumb Money opens with Seth Rogen’s character, hedge fund manager Gabe Plotkin, panicking after he receives a call from a business partner as Cardi B’s WAP starts blaring through the theaters speakers, and I was smiling ear to ear from there on out.

With a story this crazy the screenplay basically writes itself in my opinion, but what needs to be handled properly is the characters the writers chose to focus on as well as the overall tone, both of which I thought they executed perfectly. The film focuses on all of the major players that were involved in this crazy story, and also gives viewers insight into the lives of the regular people most impacted by the financial implications. From the GameStop employee working at “ground zero”, to the single mother doing her best to finally catch a break in life, viewers will be able to relate to these people.

Investing in stock is not for the faint of heart because of the inherent risk as it is a form of gambling at the end of the day, but to put faith in this guy who was willing to take on Wall Street took some serious guts so I say kudos to them and I hope things worked out in the end. With that being said, the tone of the film was amazing. The GameStop situation pissed off a great deal of people rightfully so, but they kept the tone pretty light all things considered and still managed to effectively tell this story. The movie is hilarious and the tone and the screenplay is a big reason why. You can’t deny the influence social media has on our society as a whole, but it was pretty cool to see people use it as a way to band together and “stick it to the man” for a change. Plus if you do some research on the story you will learn that the majority of what happens in the film is 100% true, which is pretty awesome if you ask me.

In my opinion the cast could not have been better for this Dumb Money, I mean if I was given the responsibility of casting director and I could have my choice of anyone I wouldn’t change a thing. I am a huge Seth Rogen guy, and I thought he was incredible as hedge fund manager Gabe Plotkin, one of the primary antagonists in the story. As a native of the great state of Maine myself and someone who has lived and spends a great deal of time in Portland, it was cool to know that Plotkin is actually from the city. Plotkin is at the center of the GameStop short squeeze and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job than Rogen in this role.

The other primary character in the story is Keith Gill, aka Roaring Kitty, the man that single-handedly brought Plotkin and the rest of Wall Street to its knees in late 2020/early 2021. A financial advisor for Mass Mutual by day and a YouTube stock investment personality in his basement by night, Gill is the regular guy just trying to support his family and for that reason he could not be more relatable. Gill is played by Swiss Army Man and The Batman (our full review here) star Paul Dano who was amazing in this role.

In order for viewers to really get invested in the story Gill’s character had to really resonate and Dano’s unique versatility as an actor made all the difference. During the film you will be rooting for Gill to succeed, and although he hits his fair share of bumps in the road along the way, his portrayal as a man with unwavering integrity, loyalty to his followers, a strong moral compass, and lets be honest balls of steel, are the backbone of this story. Bottom line, Keith Gill is the man.

I could honestly go on and on talking about this fantastic cast because it really is that good, but I will do my best to sum it up. The exceptional supporting cast includes one of my favorite actors, Nick Offerman, who plays filthy rich hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, Pete Davidson as Gill’s all-over-the-place brother, Anthony Ramos (Transfortmers: Rise of the Beasts) as GameStop employee Marcus Barcia who reminded me of my Best Buy days and had the best TikTok dance to the Megan Thee Stallion hit song Savage, Sebastian Stan as Robin Hood co-founder Vlad Tenev, Shailene Woodley as Gill’s supportive wife Caroline, Clancy Brown as Gill’s father, Vincent D’Onofrio as billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, and America Ferrera who recently starred in Barbie (our full review here) as Jenny, the single mom who is just looking for a break in life. As I said the entire cast was truly amazing, including the supporting roles I left out, so kudos to everyone who had the opportunity to be involved with this project.

On the technical side of things I have to talk about the amazing soundtrack, the incredible editing, and the unique camera work from director Craig Gillespie. The soundtrack was front and center from the opening of the film right up until the end credits popped up on the screen, and I loved every second of it. As I mentioned earlier in the review things get rolling with Cardi B’s WAP right out of the gate but that is just the tip of the iceberg as Dumb Money packs a profanity-laden and energetic soundtrack that fit the film perfectly. I also felt like the featured music and the score were helped to tell this powerful underdog story. Big time props to Will Bates who handled the score for the film, and music supervisor Susan Jacobs who Gillespie tasked with creating a track list of COVID-era hip hop and she did not disappoint.

Editing is incredibly important for a film like Dumb Money as it needs to balance the story in such a way that all of the parts that matter are told but the entertainment value still remains high throughout, and editor Kirk Baxter knocked it out of the park in my opinion. The film also takes the approach where it tells the story from the perspectives of all involved and I felt like they handled it perfectly. From the decision to open during the films culminating moments before flashing back to the beginning of the story, I don’t think they could have handled it better. I do hope they include bonus content and deleted scenes once they release the Blu-ray for the film because I know they had to cut a ton of great content including an extension of the awesome Savage TikTok dance from Ramos’ that was originally set to play during the end-credits before they made the difficult decision to cut it for the purposes of continuity.

I really like Gillespie as a director, and he has proven his worth when it comes to directing these based on true events films that include a hard to believe overall story, like his 2007 film I, Tonya. As a director he understands how to maximize the polarizing element of a story like this and he gets the job done once again. One of the biggest trademarks of his work seems to be how well he balances the tone of his films and I can’t wait to see what he decides to tackle next.

THE BAD

I didn’t actually read the book so I can’t speak to whether or not they took too many liberties in terms of the events that transpired, but based on my knowledge the film and the research I did it seemed to be pretty spot on so no issues there. I also really liked the tone of the film which I talked about during the review so I would keep that in the positive column, although I also wouldn’t argue with someone who may have preferred more of a serious tone for the film. It is preference at the end of the day, but we also need to keep in mind the fact that the film centers around a guy who wears cat sweatshirts as he goes to battle with Wall Street in his basement. Plus as I mentioned Gillespie has a certain tone he thrives for and he stays true to that. Telling the story while making sure the film was entertaining was the obvious focus for Dumb Money, and in my mind they couldn’t have executed it better, so for that reason I really don’t have any issues with this movie. It really is that good and I honestly can’t wait to see it again.

THE VERDICT

A wildly entertaining and ridiculously hilarious David vs Goliath tale with a star-studded cast and a fire soundtrack that will have you choreographing your next TikTok dance, Dumb Money is an exceptional film and the most fun I have had at the theater this year. Whether you know the story of the infamous GameStop short squeeze or not it really doesn’t matter because of the simple fact that director Craig Gillespie and everyone involved with this project put together an experience that is more than worth the price of admission. I honestly could have gone on and on talking about how much I enjoyed this movie, and I really can’t recommend Dumb Money enough. Do yourself a favor and see it in theaters sooner than later, because I know I will be seeing it again very soon.