THE BIG SHORT - film / by Stephanie Puls

Loved this! A bit kooky at times but in a good rather than unpleasant way.

This US film is based on a book of the same name about the financial crisis of 2007-08 and what was going on in the finance sector as the housing sector collapsed.

The stellar cast of Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Steve Carell and more are all fantastic in this Oscars Best Picture-nominated film.

It tracks the story of four 'outsiders' who predicted and bet on the collapse and what happened when their predictions were realised. If you'd like a slightly depressing look at just how arrogant and corrupt the giant banks were at the time, this is just the ticket.

This film was written (and directed) by Adam McKay, the man behind Anchorman (and the slightly less popular Anchorman 2) so whilst it's not pure comedy, there's definitely some funny lines throughout.

I'm not going to lie to you, despite the genuinely helpful asides to explain the more complex aspects of the story delivered through celebrity cameos (think Margot Robbie, Selina Gomez and Anthony Bourdain) there was still moments I was a bit confused by how complex the finance sector is! I would benefit from a second viewing some time I think, and certainly enjoy it.

Happily recommend this. More in this glowing review from Time Magazine.  In the interests of balance, two Australian critics, Leigh Paatsch from News Ltd and Jake Wilson from Fairfax, both liked it a little less and gave it 3.5 stars.

Trailer here. In cinemas now.