Dumb Money * * * ½

 If you're not familiar with the "GameStop" story I'd encourage you to read the Wikipedia overview on it.  Without knowing the background I think Dumb Money could be a bit confusing.  It certainly was to the couple behind me who kept asking each other, "What?" "Why?" "How come?" 

It is extraordinary to think the GameStop phenomena happened only two years ago.   Does that mean Dumb Money has been rushed out for quick capitalisation?  (pun intended) Perhaps so.  It certainly isn't the sharpest film I have seen this year.  Given it's outrageous subject matter, it should be better.  Comparisons to The Big Short are inevitable and in that respect Dumb Money comes up short (pun very much intended).

Buy, buy buy!

These days nearly everyone has got something on the internet: a blog, a website, a Youtube channel and definitely an opinion.  A guy calling himself Roaring Kitty had a popular channel in which he would talk about the shares he was buying and selling.  He was a colourful character who would appear on screen wearing a Kitty T-Shirt.  He had a good following of amateur "investors" who like to purchase the odd small price shares.  But during the Covid epidemic when everyone was stuck a home he garnered a huge following who continued to follow him.

In 2021 Roaring Kitty mentioned that he fancied a stock called "GameStop" which is a chain of retail stores that specialise in the buying and selling of computer games and peripherals.  In the meantime the professionals investors, and hedge fund managers had decided that GameStop was going to go down.  Unfortunately for these professionals, GameStop went the opposite way.  People were listening to Roaring Kitty and buying GameStop. Consequently GameStop went up and up and up to giddy heights and the professionals were losing billions.  

Soon the situation began to change.  It wasn't just about investing for profit, people were also buying shares in GameStop to make the Wall Street boys suffer.  People Power and all that. Especially when small investors were armed with the knowledge that the professionals would refer to small investors as "Dumb Money". The shares went so high quite a few "know all" hedge funds went to the wall.

It's a good story that deserves to be told.  It deserves to be told better than this. Dumb Money is adequate but unfortunately it doesn't quite capture the excitement.  Obviously there were hundred of thousands of investors who were onboard with this, Dumb Money chooses to give us sympathetic samples: A nurse, a couple of gay girls, an oppressed store clerk who actually works for GameStop, and Roaring Kitty''s difficult brother: Some win, some lose.

On the other side we meet the professional investors who don't disappoint with their vulgarity, tantrum throwing, selfishness and greed.  It's good to see them go down. 

Paul Dano does a good job as Keith Gill (Roaring Kitty).  It's directed by Craig Gillespie who gave us the excellent I Tonya and Cruella.  I was kind of hoping this would be as good as those films.