Too Big to Fail2011
Too Big to Fail (2011)
Too Big to Fail Photos
Movie Info
Watch it now
Cast
as Henry Paulson
as Warren Buffett
as Timothy Geithner
as Ben Bernanke
as Jim Wilkinson
as John Thain
as Michele Davis
as Chris Flowers
as Jamie Dimon
as John Mack
as Richard Fuld
as Erin Callan
as Barney Frank
as Wendy Paulson
as Neel Kashkari
as Skip McGee
as Christal West
as Richard Shelby
as Nancy Pelosi
as Lloyd Blankfein
as Joe Gregory
as Christopher Cox
as Harry Reid
as Bart McDade
as Greg Fleming
as Bob Willumstad
as Vikram Pandit
as Christine Lagarde
as Greg Curl
as Dan Jester
as Ken Lewis
as Chris Dodd
as Investment Banker
as Chinese Official
as Herself
as Min Euoo Sung
as Herself
as Rodgin Cohen
as Assistant
as Himself
as Mid-Level Goldman Banker
as Mr. Akers
as Sir Christopher
as Admiral Evans
as SEC Lawyer
as Reporter
as Second Reporter
as Jeffrey Immelt
as Himself
as Ruth Porat
as Gao Xiqing
as Mack's Assistant
as Chairman Sheila Bair
as Dick Kovacevich
as Himself
Critic Reviews for Too Big to Fail
All Critics (27) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (7)
Without taking an partisan position on what happened... Too Big To Fail simply and clearly explicates a chilling moment in recent history. And for that, it has value.
The movie... captures the frustration of government officials as each hole they patched was followed by an even bigger leak.
Just a dramatized synopsis in which some noble cynics guard our citadel. It is hardboiled-instead of admitting that the egg just exploded.
HBO's rendition of the Wall Street meltdown still manages to feel fresh, entertaining, and even educational. But does it get to the point?
Too Big to Fail is a chronicle of recent events... But it fails to transform those events into anything valuable or special, beyond docudramatic re-creation. Ultimately, it's scope is too big, and it fails.
The movie may do an adequate job of mining what's left of our collective outrage, but it comes up short as an artistic expression of post-recession catharsis.
Audience Reviews for Too Big to Fail
It is 2008 and the stock price of Lehman Brothers is falling and CEO Richard Fuld(James Woods) is badly in need of cash and a sugar daddy. However, he rejects Warren Buffett's(Ed Asner) offer of $40 a share as an insult to his pride and his manhood. And then instantly regrets having done so because the stock price keeps falling, and a deal with a Korean consortium falls through. Just to add insult to bankruptcy, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson(William Hurt) says there will be no government bailout this time, so Fuld had better work out something with all the other banks. "Too Big to Fail" is certainly a mixed bag. It gets off to a bad start, as it seems like we've walked into a movie that has already started.(Instead of the archival news footage during the credits, the movie should have instead gone with a Star Wars like scroll: "The empire's finances were beginning to crumble and Karl Marx was laughing in his grave.") And that's not to mention a pedestrian approach to the material and waiting until most of the way through before a discussion of the key issues. However, once it gets going, the movie takes on the form of a suspenseful political thriller at times. And it works having Paulson being the focal point of the movie as Hurt is very good in the role and it helps to have one center of attention with so many characters in play. On the other hand, Paulson, here does seem a little too good to be true, holding firm with sage advice from Ben Bernanke(Paul Giamatti, who almost steals the movie with only a bowl of oatmeal) and Timothy Geithner(Billy Crudup) and assistance from Paulson's Angels(Cynthia Nixon, Topher Grace, Ayad Akhtar & Joey Plotnick).
Super Reviewer
If someone wants to take a shortcut instead of reading the whole book, then this movie is a must watch.
Super Reviewer
Too Big to Fail is HBO's effort to dramatize the financial meltdown of 2008. It features an amazing cast, including James Woods, William Hurt, and Ed Asner. All bring a lot of presence to their scenes, even when the script doesn't fully let them shine. We get a lot of moments of tension and good dialogue exchanges, but we also get awkward moments that feel grossly manufactured so as to deliver exposition. In that sense, it's far from Margin Call, a film that brilliantly conveyed tension and steaks with similar themes. At the same time, it's not boring, executed with enough polish to keep it consistently engaging. The politics of the film and the editorializing are rather bland, however, with a far too forgiving portrayal of Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke, when the true origins of the crisis and ongoing turmoil are far more sinister and planned than what the film showed. But HBO was trying to keep it mainstream, so judged on that standard, it was successful, though not "accurate" in the truest sense of the word. 3.5/5 Stars Note: An excellent breakdown of the crisis can be found in the award-winning documentary, Inside Job.
Super Reviewer
Too Big to Fail Quotes
There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.