Dumb Money (2023) User Reviews

Good movie, but lacking that spark

[AfricanBro · 7/10 · 19 September 2023]

I wasn't as hyped about this movie as others because it's recent history that's still fresh in our memories. People who were interested in the story during covid will remember it well. However, I do appreciate that it immortalizes the story, even though a part of me thinks it might be a bit too soon.

It's a financial underdog movie, and just like during the events in 2020, it had me rooting for Keith Gill. There are moments of incredible humor. The characters are well-written and have great chemistry. The film opts for a minimalist and simple style, lacking flashy visuals, but it excels in storytelling and humor. It also boasts a good soundtrack.

I wished it could have left a more enduring impression on me, one that made me believe I could achieve what the characters did, much like the real Keith Gill/Roaring Kitty accomplished. It lacked that magnetic allure that movies like "Goodfellas" or "The Wolf of Wall Street" possess, where you're drawn to emulate the characters despite the consequences. These films romanticize their lifestyles, no matter how destructive they may be. My hope was that this movie would do the same but entice viewers to aspire to be the "good guys" who ultimately triumphed, rather than emulate the Ken Griffens and Vlad Tenevs of the world. That's what underdog movies typically achieve. Additionally, I found the pacing inconsistent, with moments of genuine engagement alternating with periods when my brain seemed to be on autopilot.

While it's a good movie, it didn't completely blow me away. This might be because we're already familiar with the story due to its recent occurrence. In some ways, this familiarity helps the movie, but in other ways, it doesn't. I don't think it's better or even on par with "The Wolf of Wall Street," for example, but it stands well on its own. Unlike films like that or even "The Big Short," I don't think this movie will be held in such high regard a decade from now as it will be now. Nevertheless, it's still an enjoyable, fun, and funny experience. Definitely worth a watch, all things considered.

I'll give this movie more credit than it deserves because it's the best explanation of these events.

[subxerogravity · 7/10 · 17 September 2023]

Never seen a Made for TV movie in a theatre before, but that's what this feels like. Maybe it has a lot to do with the events this movie being about not even being three years old and already getting such a detailed movie.

I have to admit, the shakeup of Wall Street definitely was worth talking about and I have to say this movie did a better job of explaining the whole story than the documentary Game Stop: Rise of the Players.

Despite speaking with some of the real people Rise of the Players did not have the heart needed to get me to understand the numbers of exactly how these guys did it.

So, for teaching me that, I love it. It's a mediocre movie but everyone loves an underdog story, and this is a great one!

GameStonks and Roaring Kitties

[natmavila · 8/10 · 1 February 2024]

Let's be real, "Dumb Money" is the kind of movie where you expect Danny DeVito to pop up at any moment, yelling about stocks while waving a churro. Alas, DeVito is absent, but this rollercoaster of meme stocks, Reddit threads, and financial chaos more than makes up for it.

First off, Keith Gill, played with a delightful mix of desperation and cluelessness, embodies every person who's ever thought, "Hey, I've played Monopoly, I can totally handle the stock market." His journey from YouTube's Roaring Kitty to Wall Street's roaring headache is like watching a dog accidentally start a car - it's unexpected, slightly terrifying, but you can't look away. The way he pours his life savings into GameStop is like betting your entire life on a horse because it has a funny name. And let's face it, we've all been there.

Then there's the supporting cast - a nurse, a retail worker, and a charming lesbian couple, who collectively know as much about stocks as I do about quantum physics (i.e., nada). Watching them navigate the stock surge is like a bizarre financial Avengers, where their superpower is blind optimism. And the villains? Oh boy. The hedge fund honchos are so perfectly slimy and bewildered, you'd think they were auditioning for a spot in a cartoon. The scenes where they lose millions are a chaotic blend of schadenfreude and a stark reminder that my bank account is less Wall Street, more Sesame Street.

The climax is a mess of panic selling, Reddit drama, and Robinhood playing the role of that friend who says they're five minutes away when they haven't even left home. The congressional hearing is the cherry on top, a symphony of suits and ties trying to explain the internet to other suits and ties. It's like watching your grandpa use a smartphone - painful but hilarious.

In the end, "Dumb Money" is less about finance and more about the absurdity of hope, greed, and the internet coming together to create a storm that not even the weatherman saw coming. It's funny, it's heartwarming, and it's a gentle reminder that maybe, just maybe, the real stock market was the friends we made along the way. Or something like that.

I like the stock, I enjoyed the movie.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 26 September 2023]

The true story of The GameStop shares, how everyday people, detached from Wall Street turned the tables, and sent an Earthquake through the establishment.

If you recently watched Gran Turismo, it's a similar sort of film, the everyday people taking on the elite, the establishment, only this time, someone dares to take on The big money traders, the investors, those that play with money.

I wasn't sure initially, but it opens up and develops into a good film, it's a story of David Vs Goliath, a triumph over adversity....only the odds are naturally stacked in favour of The Financiers.

It was wonderful to get to see the real faces at the end, it brought home that this was actually based on a true story, crazy to believe it actually happened.

They did not hold back when it came to exposing the rotten system, the various bailouts that have happened several times over, with public money.

Paul Dano was great I thought here, a subtle, understated performance, Seth Rogan very good also, always good to see him in a serious role, that scene where he played out his speech, brilliant.

A surprisingly good movie.

7/10.

A good movie but unsure as to why it's come out now

[burntoutboy · 7/10 · 18 September 2023]

I went into this not knowing a massive amount about the GameStop stuff.

I think the film does well in showing the story but only from a high level. It doesn't go into too much detail of certain decisions or certain character arcs but I think it's good enough. However, I do think this film came out too soon considering the events only happened in 2020/21. Feel like if it came out a few years later it would have been better.

Saying all that, I think it was well acted, had a few funny moments and music choice was good.

It's not Oscar worthy by any means but it's still an enjoyable watch especially if you don't know much about the true story.

Intermittently entertaining

[benjaminskylerhill · 6/10 · 14 September 2023]

Even with its admirable intentions, in its writing, Dumb Money is, well, dumb. It's incessantly preachy and shallow, clinically moving from plot point to plot point while never examining any of its characters or happenings beneath the surface level.

Granted, it doesn't necessarily need to. But it also doesn't present its scant narrative with enough style to make it compulsively watchable.

Still, I found it impossible to dislike this movie. It tells the populist story that united everyone-right, left, and center-for a brief moment of euphoric social harmony. How can I not get wrapped up in reliving all that?

Most of the cast brings charisma to their characters that was not on the page, and they are what is compelling about this film. That, and, even though the script has a dearth of insight, it's funny. It had loads of fast-paced dry wit that make it tough to not smile throughout.

The performers and the humour really saved this movie, and though I don't think it'll have the impact the filmmakers were hoping for, it's a solidly good time. Just don't take it too seriously.

The music didn't fit this film.

[chris_rowe-881-168820 · 8/10 · 28 September 2023]

I'm no prude but the music in this film for the story and genre seemed so strange , I mean it's a potential film you'd see with parents as I did, then within minutes you got lyrics about a wap (accidentally went to subtitled one to which made it worse). It just seemed so out of place.

The acting was good, I like Davidson when he's scaled down a bit, when he's to over the top he's annoying and a tough act to enjoy but he worked here.

The lad I'm GameStop was another cringe part, twice singing that song from Megan the horse, it was just a bit meh.

The film would've been better a tad more serious without the silly music choices.

A crowd pleaser without the crowd. Where are you guys? Go see it!

[Groverdox · 19 December 2023]

Here's a movie I liked quite a bit. I think more people should have seen it. Going by the Wikipedia entry for its box office return, it didn't do all that well financially, which is ironic.

Perhaps that's because like me, audiences felt they might not be able to understand the ins and outs of its story, which involves the world of stock trading, something out of reach for the average person. But again, that's ironic, because the whole point of the story, the lesson learned by the history portrayed here, is that that world isn't as out of reach as we think.

I believe the movie does a very good job of making this stuff understandable to people like me, so I wish more people would take a chance on it.

The heart of the movie is really Paul Dano's performance. I have long thought he is one of the best actors in the world. Here, he embodies the guy at the centre of the GameStop short squeeze seemingly effortlessly.

I was also very impressed by Seth Rogen playing a role I totally did not expect to see him in. He's a Hollywood good guy, but portrays one of the rich guys at war with "dumb money", ie. People trying to pick up a little extra money with stocks, while getting sneered at by those with so much money they can game the system.

Or so they thought.

The movie is possibly a little less successful with its various portrayals of people on either side of the squeeze. It's possible it has too many characters, I'm not sure. At first I wasn't sure who everybody was, and if they were supposed to be good guys or bad guys (because the movie definitely has those).

You know what? I think I'm going to watch it again, now that I know who everybody is. That's actually pretty high praise. These days I often quit on movies before they're over, but not this one.

That music! AAAAGGHHH!

[KM_391 · 6/10 · 30 January 2024]

The early part of this film, perhaps the first 15 minutes or so, constitutes some of the most painful moments of my entire movie-viewing life. The filmmakers repeatedly chose to blast the film with absolutely obnoxious, offensive, crude and un-listenable rap music that plays too long and WAY too loud. If I hadn't just spent $5.99 to rent the movie, I absolutely would have turned it off. I'm glad I didn't turn it off, though, because once we got past the rap-fest, it settled into a pretty good movie. Paul Dano is excellent as the earnest, well-meaning day trader who sparks a worldwide rift in the stock market. It's a classic case of the little guy who stands up to the powers at the top. There's still some rap that I could live without throughout the movie, but those first few minutes appear to betray some sort of mental breakdown on the part of the director, music supervisor, and editor. Watch with caution.

Entertaining and informative!

[parksiet · 8/10 · 22 September 2023]

Dumb Money is fan-freaking-tastic! It's fun and entertaining while also being really intelligent and riveting! Sure, it may not go as in depth as I would have liked it to, but director Craig Gillespie did a great job of making the Game Stop stock situation as accessible as possible for general audiences (so yes if you know nothing about stocks, you'll still enjoy this!) Plus the cast is awesome and each actor really makes you care for their character - especially Paul Dano (I loved him as Roaring Kitty/Keith Gill), America Ferrera and Anthony Ramos. If you love The Big Short and/or Moneyball... this movie is for you! A crowd pleasing financial film for the little guy that explores one of the biggest and most recent revolutions in Wall Street's history with clarity and humour! Gotta say... it's always fun seeing Wall Street losers lose!

Dumb Money

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 20 October 2023]

To be perfectly honest, I have never quite understood how you could make money buying stock in a company that you actually wanted to go bust! I watched this and I'm still not really any the wiser. It all centres around the internet influencer Keith Gill (Paul Dano) who quite fancied the undervalued stock in a video game store called "GameStop". He started to suggest to his followers that this was a decent buy - despite the fairly obvious fact that the venture capitalists were selling the company short with a view to it collapsing. Slowly but surely the word spreads and the stock starts to rise. What now ensues is a worm that turns story as the gazillionaires at their polo clubs find these gadfly small investors really are becoming a fly in their vichyssoise. Can the little guy prevail? This is quite an enjoyably paced drama with it's roots in reality but for me, the acting was really lacklustre and it drew a really simplistically linear distinction between the have and the have nots that didn't really intrigue my brain. It certainly demonstrates the power of the internet and that galvanising the population can easily buck some established business practices but somehow I didn't especially admire the little guys here either - they were to varying degrees just as aspirational, wanted what the rich guys had and didn't much care how they got it! Still, it's enjoyable enough to watch but I'd wait til it is on the television.

"I like the sto-movie"

[cinemasnake · 8/10 · 3 February 2024]

Wow! This felt just like yesterday. What an incredible "based on a true story" movie about an underdog taking a huge risk. This wasn't a gamble, this was a guy who did his research and put in the work, and the world responded.

The cast was perfect. After Paul Dano's big appearance in The Batman (2022), I was wondering if I'd be seeing him in anything big coming up. He's played both the villain and hero... what else can he do?

One thing I was/wasn't expecting is the comedy in this movie. I was worried it was going to be cringey at first, but it was actually perfect for the story. Enjoy it while it lasts! We probably won't have a movie like this for a long time.

Interesting, with a touch of So What?

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 27 September 2023]

Keith Gill runs a small-time vlog from his basement, in which he does not offer investment advice, but instead openly displays his own modest investment portfolio and explains which stocks he likes. One such stock is Gamestop, which he believes is undervalued. It transpires that hedge funds have taken forward positions on Gamestop, believing that the share price will tank, following which they will make a killing. But many small investors, following Keith, buy Gamestop. This pushes the price up, and leaves the hedge funds in deep trouble as they have to cover now deeply damaging forward positions.

This true story, featuring the side stories of many small investors, is both heartening and depressing as it shows the small guy taking on big financial muscle and winning - until the big guys cheat.

It's a fascinating story, at least up to the end, at which point it wanders of into a king of inconsequential lack of resolution. Just like real life, in fact.

A missed opportunity for a deeper exploration of the GameStop short squeeze

[steveinadelaide · 4/10 · 30 October 2023]

Craig Gillespie directs Dumb Money and tells the story of the GameStop short squeeze of 2021. The movie follows Keith Gill, also known as Roaring Kitty, and a group of amateur investors who took on Wall Street and made millions by investing in GameStop. With a cast of characters that are expertly crafted, the movie deconstructs the GameStop short squeeze into terms even non-experts in the stock market might understand. The movie captures the online whisper network that builds a "meme stock" and the insidious influence of social media.

The ensemble cast of Dumb Money is outstanding, and director Craig Gillespie skilfully directs them so that no one overacts or takes centre stage. The movie has lively energy and a great performance by Paul Dano as Keith Gill, AKA Roaring Kitty. It also manages to successfully bring together a number of different supporting characters and parallel storylines. The movie, nevertheless, might have done a better job of developing the personalities and their goals.

Gillespie approaches the subject matter with the same cynicism and irony he showed in I, Tonya, his bizarrely humorous interpretation of the Tonya Harding affair. The lighting design of the movie and its attempts to create tension from close-ups of people staring at screens are evocative of David Fincher's The Social Network. The score and cinematography are serviceable but not particularly memorable.

The editing of Dumb Money is solid, and the pacing is brisk. The majority of the film switches back and forth between the viewpoints of its characters in the second and third acts, gradually revealing to the audience how much each stands to gain and lose from GameStop's skilfully orchestrated success. The dialogue is witty and engaging, but it lacks the depth and nuance that could have made the movie more compelling.

Dumb Money is a missed opportunity for a deeper exploration of the GameStop short squeeze. The movie has a fantastic cast and a lot of action, but it does not go into detail about the particular dynamics that made this dramatic change in the economy possible. In order to fully explore the forces of injustice and how the pandemic affected the event, the film should have gone deeper and raised more challenging queries. The film is entertaining enough, but it falls short of its potential. I would recommend Dumb Money to those who are interested in the GameStop short squeeze and want to see a dramatisation of the events. However, those looking for a more nuanced exploration of the topic may be disappointed.

"You need to get out while you can."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 18 February 2024]

It's a story of more is never enough, especially for the little guy. Well, the big guys too, the ones who stepped in to stop the madness when Gamestop stock was taking off like a rocket. I followed the real story from a distance, knowing that what goes up almost invariably comes down, and this was one fad that wasn't going to last. Although many thought it would, and those who bought at the top are now sadly nursing their wounds for getting caught up in the hype. The film does a pretty good job of laying out the chronology of the Gamestop/Reddit/Wall Street Bets phenomenon with Roaring Kitty Keith Gill (Paul Dano) maintaining an understated presence as the man behind the scenes of the astonishing rise of Gamestop's stock price. The story is somewhat more accessible than 2015's "The Big Short", with all its Wall Street Journal financial jargon throughout, making it a bore fest for a majority of its audience. In this one, the person I felt bad the most about was nurse Jenny Campbell (America Ferrera), who rode the roller coaster to the top, but with a faith too rock solid to dissuade, held on to the stock with diamond hands until it fell off the proverbial cliff. The film should be a reminder to all who want to get rich quick that lightning like this strikes only a few, and even then, very far between. When Jenny Campbell states at one point - "We control the price now. Not Wall Street" - know that it's only a matter of time before another Wall Street stock truism follows very close behind, that is, a reversion to the mean.

So, when can we expect a movie about Sam Bankman Fried?

Stocks go up, stocks go down. Does this sound interesting?

[imseeg · 6/10 · 28 September 2023]

The good: a bunch of great actors are starring in this flick about stock manipulation and those actors do perform well, but that is about all the positive I can find...

The bad: this story fails to become gripping or insightful. It just toddles along. Stocks go up, stocks go down. Wanna see an entire movie about that? I managed but I wasnt thrilled and I got somewhat bored.

More bad: it fails to become funny. Humor is quite personal and this never was meant to be a laugh out loud comedy, but it does have some subtle comical moments, that are too few though to really make me enjoy it.

A nice, well acted portrait of some dude who managed to make a lot of people loose money on stocks, but definitely lacking spark and punch.

Loved it except the music!

[kaytiebabooah · 7/10 · 29 September 2023]

The "WAP" song was so unnecessary, and so loud I had no idea what rogan and "Dwight" were saying to eachother on the phone call - whet a bad judgment job on the director or writer. It really overpowered the intro of the movie and I literally wanted to leave lol.. but going into the movie not even knowing it was in theater (spur of the night) I stayed because I like the actors! It was really cool to see the little man taking on the big man type of movie. It kept me on edge and felt the actors were all perfectly roled, Pete Davidson is a heart throb so its nice see him in this! Im a 27F (for age reference so you know I wasnt an old lady seeing this lol)

To the moon

[wet_fart2000 · 8/10 · 24 September 2023]

Dumb Money is a semi-historical partial biopic of the man who took Gamestop stock to the moon, and its impact on the financial world.

This movie charts the events of memestock, when in 2021 r/WallStreetBets took on one a series of major hedge funds in the USA, exposing the lie that is the "free market". Packed with some incredible acting chops in the form of Paul Dano, Seth Rogen (seriously), America Ferrera, and somehow an excellent performance from Pete Davidson, I was captivated from start to finish.

The film trod similar ground to The Big Short but infused with memes and videos from the actual event, benefiting from being made only a year or so after the end of the saga. Having been a redditor during that time, I laughed hard at some of the more obscure references and easter eggs, leading to funny looks from my fellow less-online cinema-goers.

If you enjoy laughing at the state of financial institutions, the absurdity of unchecked late stage capitalism, and Paul Dano being weird, while simultaneously dying inside at the fact that this is the reality in which we live, this movie is for you. If, however, you dislike critiques of libertarianism and greed, this is not for you.

Crowd pleasing fact based drama

[masonsaul · 7/10 · 22 September 2023]

It borders on overwhelming itself with the sheer amount of characters and any film that depicts Internet culture will struggle to make it work but Dumb Money remains a really good crowd pleaser in which it's satisfying to watch ordinary people win in a system that's rigged against them.

There's a lot of players involved here so some people don't get much and most are fine but highlights include Paul Dano leading the film with a kind presence, Pete Davidson playing to his strengths as a really funny comic relief and Sebastian Stan who is ridiculously accurate to his real life counterpart all the way down to his enunciation.

Craig Gillespie has thankfully toned the needle drops, it still borders on excessive but stops just before getting there. Elsewhere, the Fincher vibes are strong in pretty much every aspect, especially Will Bates' score which is so clearly trying to be Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross but considering everything the film is going for that works.

Another stock market movie - from a Wall St guy

[micah-mysiuk · 8/10 · 22 March 2024]

This is the third stock market movie based on events I lived thru. This one I had a more inside view than the others, having traded on Discord servers from 2019-2022. The real story is far more sinister and depressing than the one portrayed in the film. GME is trading around $12 as I'm writing this review. Adam Aaron fleeced the hell out of the AMC investors. "Dumb Money" still lost in the end.

If you're looking for a surface level understanding of the events that took place around the GameStock event, this is the movie for you.

Don't take it too serious. Understand it's not accurate. Not a bad movie.

Check youtube dot com slash watch?v=rejpDqQUcV0 to see what it was like hanging with the Tendieman.

Outsmarting the 1%

[abhijithjsocial · 15 November 2023]

Keith, who gaves tips in social media about the stock market. Especially a specific stock named GameStop, which is an old company with less value and is overlooked by the major buyers and wall street.

Because of his advices in his social media post, some of his followers starts to buy GameStop 's stock and it's value increases. The people who bought stock get richer and this affects billionaires and millionaires.

Movie talks about how the 1 percentage, who takes the ordinary people 's money as silly/dumb money and how the ordinary people outsmarts them legally.

Must-watch engaging light hearted movie based on true events with an awesome acast and technicians.

Davids, Goliaths, and nags

[Irie212 · 7/10 · 22 January 2024]

Like "The Big Short" in style and substance, this Wall Street procedural is extremely well done, making it a lot of fun to watch private Davids take on hedge-fund Goliaths who dubbed them "dumb money." The whole cast is terrific, and Paul Dano holds it all together as the calm center of the hurricane.

Just a few questions/quibbles:

Why is it so poorly lit? Almost every scene has the look of photographs that were too heavily inked. Even outdoors.

The movie is relentlessly geared to a youth audience, which is fine, of course. I'm in my 70s and had no trouble keeping up (with a little help from Shazam), but I was a bit surprised how little concern there was about appealing to a general audience.

My only real criticism is that far too much of the movie repeats one monotonous aspect of the plot: people brazenly advising investors what to do, or what not to do, with their money. Every single investor gets nagged by someone-- partners, siblings, parents, friends, colleagues, classmates-- and nagging is as tedious in movies as it is in real life.

HODL the line

[avindugunasinghe · 8/10 · 23 December 2023]

Viewers get emotional watching romcoms or excited for a spy thriller but Dumb Money is a story that we meet in the streets, the story that we live in and the story of people whose futures are too fragile therefore this story moves any heart. Though it maybe not the exact the visuals succeed in showing the stark inequality of lives. And the movie seems to paint a picture of how a diversed community put up a stronghold against a centuries old creed of manipulation. Story of Gill is a story of hope for the humans and for the world even and that's well told with a great script. Great music and most of all excellent work by cast. Absolutely mesmerizing.

Wow

[geethranaweera · 6/10 · 20 December 2023]

I'm no prude but the music in this film for the story and genre seemed so strange , I mean it's a potential film you'd see with parents as I did, then within minutes you got lyrics about a wap (accidentally went to subtitled one to which made it worse). It just seemed so out of place.

The acting was good, I like Davidson when he's scaled down a bit, when he's to over the top he's annoying and a tough act to enjoy but he worked here.

The lad I'm GameStop was another cringe part, twice singing that song from Megan the horse, it was just a bit meh. Wow I'm so happy watching this movie. Thanks you team.

Interesting story, dumb dialogue and soundtrack

[rjf-63090 · 4/10 · 4 October 2023]

Dumb Money tells the story of a group of Internet investors who bid up the stock price of GameStop while Wall Street titans are betting on the price crashing. Although it's a movie cliche, the David v. Goliath story was interesting and somewhat suspenseful, especially since I didn't remember how the real events turned out. However, the movie is marred by a constant barrage of loud and obscene hip-hop that served no obvious purpose. The other major flaw is crude dialogue littered with f-words and s-words. Did the people the movie is based on really curse that much? I hope all the lazy writers for this movie went broke during the strike and left the industry.