Dumb Money is a heart-warming story about true events in the stock market during Covid-19 lockdown in the USA
Film review: Dumb Money (15)
Starring: Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D'Onofrio, America Ferrera, Myha'la Herrold, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Seth Rogen and Talia Ryder
Director: Craig Gillespie Run time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
One of the most uplifting stories of the Covid-19 lockdowns period came from over the pond, where a rag-tag group of investors brought two huge hedge funds to their knees.
This based-on-true events David versus Goliath film is the story of how a modest broadcaster on social media platform YouTube played Wall Street at its own game and won.
During lockdown in the States in 2021, family man and self-confessed nerd Keith Gill sinks his family’s savings into shares of the video games retailer GameStop and posts about it on discussion website Reddit.
Keith’s broadcasts about how the hedge funders have got it wrong by betting against GameStop strike a chord with members of the online small investments community, who join him in backing the retailer.
Together, they make GameStop the world’s hottest company, themselves rich and the billionaires poorer - until the rich Wall Streeters fight back.
Paul Dano is absolutely superb as the likeable, quirky Gill, and America Ferreira puts in her usual great performance as Jenny, a nurse who is swept along with the movement.
Talia Ryder and Myha’la Herrold are entertaining as students Harmony and Riki, who also follow Gill’s investment advice.
However, Seth Rogan and Vincent D’Onofrio don’t have so much to work with in their portrayal of hedge fund bosses Gabe Plotkin and Steve Cohen – to accentuate the whole good guy/bad guy plot, their characters are written as one-dimensional rich fools.
It’s my main gripe with the film really. The small investors are quirky, warm and cuddly and the Wall Street chiefs are cold, dumb and heartless. Nothing’s ever that simple.
That apart, the whole film is a fascinating insight into the world of American finance, and there’s a great soundtrack too, with Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar and The White Stripes all featuring.
Rating: 7/10
