Dumb Money Review by Marc Primo

Paul Dano delivers a powerful performance as Keith Gill, also known as Roaring Kitty, an obscure figure on the Reddit channel wallstreetbets. Gill gained fame by orchestrating a short squeeze against GameStop. In simple terms, major hedge funds profited from betting on the failure of companies, causing job losses and financial ruin. However, Gill rallied his young followers to buy GameStop stock, skyrocketing its value. Despite becoming a paper millionaire, Gill held onto the stock, stirring up billionaires. This led to collusion between Robinhood and a hedge fund owner, resulting in a halt on stock trading. Such actions undermined the principles of an open market based on fair buying and selling. The incident triggered Congressional investigations, raising implications of Gill having insider knowledge. How could someone from the "dumb money" group cause billions in losses for the "fat cats"?

Based on Ben Mezrich's book, known for inspiring "The Social Network," Blum and Angelo skillfully craft this captivating story. Set in Boston, we meet Gill, his wife Caroline (played by Shailene Woodley), and his incredulous brother Kevin (Pete Davidson), who struggles to grasp his nerdy sibling's impact. The narrative also explores various investors, including Jenny, a nurse (America Ferrera), Marcus, a GameStop clerk (Anthony Ramos), and college students Harmony (Talia Ryder) and Riri (Myha’la Herrold). On the opposing side, Seth Rogen embodies Gabe Plotkin's entitled foolishness, while Vincent D’Onofrio brings Steve Cohen's eccentricity to life. Sebastian Stan portrays RobinHood head Vlad Tenev's stumbling journey, and Nick Offerman masterfully captures Ken Griffin's unsettling presence on screen.

It's a great cast, and Gillespie handles them well, ensuring no one steals the focus. While broad in scope, "Dumb Money" successfully provides necessary information and character beats. However, it could benefit from more insight into the unique dynamics that sparked this financial shift. There's a version of the film that delves deeper, questioning the forces of inequity and exploring how the pandemic impacted the event. Perhaps the pandemic and other issues overshadowed the outrage that could have been. However, “Dumb Money” is better for not having too many speeches about the evils of capitalism. There’s an inferior version of this film that talks down to its audience or, worse, expects them to get heavily invested in its retail trading subculture. Gillespie smartly avoids those traps, keeping the dramedy fluid without resorting to melodrama. This is what happens when ordinary people finally challenge the ancient institutions of society. Sure, the hole gets plugged up. But the people aren't going to stop trying.