The Big Short

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The Big Short

R

2015

2h 10m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

324 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In 2008, Wall Street guru Michael Burry realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing market by throwing more than $1 billion of his investors' money into credit default swaps. His actions attract the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and other greedy opportunists. Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America.

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Critics Consensus

The Big Short approaches a serious, complicated subject with an impressive attention to detail -- and manages to deliver a well-acted, scathingly funny indictment of its real-life villains in the bargain.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 1, 2017

D

... it wreaks of self-important pseudo-commentary that is more hollow and garishly humorous than it cares to admit.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Aug 16, 2016

3/4

While The Big Short is hardly uplifting, it still manages to tell a rambunctiously funny tale that's as informative as it is entertaining, humor walking hand-in-hand with tragedy to ultimately craft a comedy that's impossible to dismiss.

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Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

Jun 12, 2016

3.5/4

Adam McKay's The Big Short plays like an elaborate con, albeit one that uses its powers for good.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Jun 24, 2025

10/10

This is such an improbably brilliant film.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Feb 16, 2024

5/5

Headlined by a star-studded cast, this legitimate must-see film tip-toes audaciously between biting satire and topical cautionary tale. You won't know whether to be pissed or be entertained and that's a powerful quality to pull off.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Aug 27, 2023

'The Big Short' is the film that we needed at this time.

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Ivan R

@RT88443011 Sep 11, 2026

This is one of the best documentary movies out there, it was super interesting and very entertaining. If you like docu type films and are interested in finance or the mortgage crisis of 08 this is a great watch

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Harrison E

@slams22 Aug 8, 2026

Not a single point of boredom. A uniquely shot movie with a great and recognizable cast for those interested in the source material or not.

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Rick J

@Rjonesgpc Jul 31, 2026

Great movie - highly educational on the 2008 housing market collapse

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Isiah P

@oOstutterOo Jul 3, 2026

This was not only just a good movie, it was also enlightening. It felt at times like I was watching a highly stylistic documentary. It was super intriguing and pretty funny at times as well. But it also has a stomach turning element to it when you realize just what people are willing to do for money in modern society. It’s pretty sickening. I could see myself watching this again just to understand it a little better.

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acsdoug D

@acsdoug Jun 26, 2026

A bit preachy, particularly towards the end, but it's still a well-made film about some very interesting times.

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Frans B

@FransB Jun 12, 2026

Brilliant! Very intelligently written and directed. Stellar cast all excels convincingly in character. Great cinematography keeps up and puts emphasis on the frantic pace. One of those movies you really have to pay attention. Amazing that these guys really figured it out and made fortunes from total economic disaster. Lots of conniving, gritty comments, funny peculiar and funny haha moments, legit fast talking, sharp wit, drama, suspense, gambling with uncertain notions, emotion and rollercoaster trading schemes. Very entertaining and captivating

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Adam McKay

Director

Steve Carell

Mark Baum

Ryan Gosling

Jared Vennett

Christian Bale

Michael Burry

Brad Pitt

Ben Rickert

Hamish Linklater

Porter Collins

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Synopsis

In 2008, Wall Street guru Michael Burry realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing market by throwing more than $1 billion of his investors' money into credit default swaps. His actions attract the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and other greedy opportunists. Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America.

Director: Adam McKay
Producer: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Arnon Milchan
Screenwriter: Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Plan B Entertainment
Rating: R (Some Sexuality/Nudity|Pervasive Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 23, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $70.2M
Runtime: 2h 10m

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