The Big Short

The Big Short tells a very scary story about the 2008 financial crisis in simple, and sometimes entertaining, terms. Through the eyes of a few individuals, we get to see how our trusted financial institutions, and those responsible for running and regulating them, are driven first by their self interest. Some telling lessons here for people that are so focused on making money that they don't realize just what the impact their success would have on others.

This film would be exceptional even if it weren't based on actual events. The acting is top notch, funny and engaging. And the fact that you are actually learning something important is just icing on the cake. It does have some language and brief nudity, so I would keep this for teens or older.. Oh, and you do have to pay attention, there are a lot of facts and they come fast and hard, but if you keep up this is very enlightening as well as entertaining.

Just before the mortgage bubble popped, I worked as a sysadmin at a mortgage loan servicing company that purchased a lot of bad loans to turn them into AAA loans. In fact, this same company even repackaged them and sell them just as they describe in the film. This movie wasn't far from the truth. The company I worked for is now nothing compared to what it was in it's peak in 2006. I highly suggest this to anyone who's worked in the banking industry. It really defines the hubris a lot of people had during those days. Having worked in banks after showed that lessons were never learned and the same crap goes on today.