Money and Masks

The challenge for Dumb Money is how to make a story about stocks interesting, especially when anyone interested either already knows what happened or can easily look up the events. The answer given here is to focus on some great characters played by grade A actors.

The story is a simple one, albeit one seasoned with odd bit of financial jargon. Way back in pandemic times (2021) a low rung financial investor called Keith Gill led a Reddit driven movement to buy up stock in video game retail chain Gamestop, massively driving up its share price and giving investors a huge return. This sparks a backlash from the big finance institutions betting on the companies demise. Paul Dano plays Gill with Seth Rogan, Vincent D'Onofrio and Nick Offerman appearing as real life Wall Street investors alongside some made up "average Joe" characters portrayed by America Ferrera, Anthony Ramos and others.

When every character is introduced we see their net worth, from the multiple billions to those in debt, giving a sense of the stakes for everyone involved. You really want the nurse to clear her debts, you really don't want the Wall Street tool to demolish a mansion and build a tennis court. Another great stylistic choice is the banging hip hop soundtrack. It's pretty hilarious to watch distinctly uncool characters live it up to rap beats and perfectly encapsulates the juxtapose between the gangsters they are in their own heads and the way the rest of the world sees them.

A much more divisive choice is the films use of face masks. Being set during the pandemic our heroes all wear masks while the hedge fund slimes are never pictured with them on, so far so realistic. Where it gets a little dicier is with the multiple scenes of authority figures telling our protagonists to put their masks on, suggesting that the virus slowing coverings were indeed some sort of tool of oppression. This idea is backed up near the end of the movie when a newly flush investor feels he no longer needs his day job and casts aside his make while his former boss meekly pulls his back up. Are we already far enough away from the height of the pandemic to thematically use face masks this way? Will we ever be? How you feel about that may greatly impact how you feel about this film.

Other than that Dumb Money is a slick, well acted telling of a fresh, (mostly) feel good story that should have you routing for the characters and keep you invested throughout, even if it isn't always exactly edge of your seat stuff.

I like 7 out of 10 of these stocks.

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