DUMB MONEY Review
Craig Gillespie's latest continues a trajectory of anti-establishment stories
Is it weird to have nostalgia for a few years ago? That’s the thought I had during DUMB MONEY, the latest film by director Craig Gillespie. The film chronicles the bizarre story about a stocks trading subreddit that bought stocks in GameStop during the pandemic as a form of protest against shady Wall Street policies. I vaguely remember the story in 2021 as an interesting lark. Gillespie, director of the Oscar winning movies I, TONYA and CRUELLA, takes a very recent story and makes it into a funny dramedy, reminiscent of other finance movies like THE WOLF OF WALL STRET and THE BIG SHORT. The film stars Paul Dano, Anthony Ramos, America Ferrera, Shailene Woodley, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, and Sebastian Stan and it’s based on the book The Antisocial Network by Ben Mewrich adapted by Lauren Shuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo.
Dano stars as financial analyst and YouTuber Keith Gill, who posts on his YouTube livestreams and the subreddit Wall Street Bets about GameStop. He sees that the GameStop stock price is falling, and realizes that hedge fund investment firms are short selling the stock on the assumption that the store will close. While at first the people around him are skeptical, the stock price continues to rise. More and more online buyers purchase stock, which loses money for hedge fund investors like Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen). This sets off an online protest against Wall Street and thus retaliation against the stock buyers.
The nostalgia kicked in for me when Gillespie’s cued up Cardi B’s “WAP” featuring Megan Thee Stallion in the first few minutes of the film. That’s a song I haven’t listened to in a minute but was such A Moment when it released in 2020. It was definitely a welcome and cathartic moment of joy during those difficult times. Gillespie sets the stage for this movie—a little tongue in cheek, a little wacky, and a lot entertaining.
The strongest element of DUMB MONEY is its sense of humor. There are some throwaway lines and sight gags that really land (Pete Davidson’s line “DoorDash is a job, I’m a first responder” is a highlight). The film has a sense of urgency, and certain moments really land as a rallying cry against the billionaires. The film’s decision to feature a bunch of stock buyers and redditors rather than just Gill was a smart one. The framing of the story, featuring unrelated characters involved in the GameStop stock trade, makes it engaging. DUMB MONEY feels a bit lighter than THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and THE BIG SHORT, but it makes sense for the story being told.
Gillespie’s last two movies, I, TONYA and CRUELLA, form a sort of trilogy with DUMB MONEY about anger and how “the little guy” is trying to survive amidst corruption, unfairness, impossible standards, and systemic inequity. In DUMB MONEY, regular people are trying to beat hedge fund guys like Plotkin, and somehow still get the short end of the stick. Gillespie’s packages this anarchic theme in goofy jokes and fourth-wall breaking style. He’s ironic and wink-wink. His movies go down easily and yet they leave you with something to ponder.
The cast is pretty strong from the squirrely Sebastian Stan to the freaked-out Seth Rogen. America Ferrera and Antony Ramos are major highlights, though there isn’t much of a weak link in the cast. Paul Dano offers an authentic performance, as a guy who’s passionate about stocks and about providing for his family. DUMB MONEY feels really sincere and genuine to me, and a lot of that is carried by Paul Dano.
Craig Gillespie is quickly becoming a director I am interested in after these last few movies and his sweet romcom-adjacent LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. His latest plays in a similar vein to I, TONYA and CRUELLA (a movie of which I am convinced I am the world’s biggest fan). DUMB MONEY is funny, interesting, and playfully made, and deserves a watch.
DUMB MONEY is currently playing in theaters.