Dumb Money

Craig Gillespie is a director with an interesting filmography. He has one of the funniest comedies in recent memory (Lars and the Real Girl), a witty and unique biopic (I, Tonya), one of the best Disney live-action films (Cruella), and then a plethora of forgettable films. His newest installment, Dumb Money, is being marketed similarly to films of another well-versed director: the witty, satirical, and comedic vision of Adam McKay. However, Dumb Money is actually far more similar in tone to films like The Social Network and Moneyball than anything else. While Dumb Money is a different approach for Gillespie, it is also a logical next step.

First up, I want to give major props to casting directors Bret Howe and Mary Vernieu for bringing together this A-list cast and finding the perfect roles for all involved. Anthony Ramos and America Ferrera shine as two characters following Paul Dano’s Keith Gill (aka Roaring Kitty) as he invests in GameStop, declaring “I just like the stock.” Dano is solid in the leading role, but somehow delivers his least memey performance in the last year.

I also really appreciate the career growth we’ve seen from Seth Rogen over the last few years. Here, he plays one of the Wall Street brokers that Roaring Kitty’s investment in GameStop causes a massive financial loss to. Rogen went from someone who was always the reliable comic relief to now developing more dramatic acting chops. In Dumb Money, he gets to show these off while still getting moments to highlight his charismatic personality.

Another pitch-perfect aspect of Dumb Money is its needle drops, which are perfectly timed and definitely are a comedic highlight of the film. These sequences really show off the kinetic editing style we are used to in Gillespie films that are otherwise lacking for the majority of the runtime.

Narratively, Dumb Money succeeds massively in two areas. Firstly, it’s impressive how wholly the film grasps the internal struggle and anxiety investing in the stock market can do to a person. This feat is especially prominent in the sequences focusing on our college student investors, who have almost all of their money riding to the moon with Roaring Kitty and the GameStop stock. We feel their internal discussion on whether to hold their positions or cash out and massively improve their current living situations.

Dumb Money also does a remarkable job at transporting us back to the COVID-19 era. Unlike most “Covid films”, Dumb Money is not a movie about the pandemic, yet it’s grasps the feeling and landscape of what life was like to live during the lockdown. The film showcases how people progressed with their life during a global event. One specific scene I thought was executed well involved America Ferrera’s character at a gas station, where she attempts to spark small talk with someone on another pump 6 feet away. During this scene, I was instantly transported back to this era.

However, Dumb Money is not perfect. While its issues don’t crash the film overall, I just felt like something in the film was missing. Maybe it was the congested tone trying to mix comedy and a super serious approach to a story, or how the film seems to just end right when I felt like it was hitting its peak. This falls to how the story of the GameStop stock is still ongoing, and the film even acknowledges it during the final title cards.

I just wish Dumb Money was a more meme-y film. This is another example of a solid movie falling victim to a bad and misleading trailer. The marketing sold us on a wacky comedy and instead, we got an engaging drama. They tease the audience on multiple occasions of the movie that could be with TikTok montages, comedic bit roles, and really diving into online meme culture which I feel would give us a more fun movie, but the script is more focused on telling an interesting, gripping, and educational tale. I can’t complain about it and was pleasantly surprised with the final result, but it could've been so much more unique than it actually was. 

However, to close out, I want to steal a line from Roaring Kitty… I just like the film.

7/10