The Big Short (spoiler free)

Everyone should go see it for a few reasons. (TL/DR warning)

My first (admittedly biased) reason for recommending the movie is that I'm an economist and I desperately want people to be more aware of some of the causes of the Great Recession in better detail. This movie does a fantastic job of simplifying complex concepts to the point that anyone above a high school level of intelligence can understand. Props to the film for capturing and explaining the core causes of the collapse (and making it entertaining!)

Now for people who don't give a shite about financial nuance, there's still a lot to enjoy from a pure movie perspective.

First, the movie did a fantastic job of consistently violating the fourth wall in unique and fun ways. In a movie about a group of characters finding success by going against convential wisdom, I found this violation particularly entertaining and appropriate. It was really creative filmmaking at times.

Second, it's a terrific new take on professional investors in film. In virtually every movie with a key character engrained in the world of high finance, that character is either a morally reprehensible villain (ex Wall Street) or a sad individual who eventually realizes that they need something more in their life than their careers (ex Pretty Woman). This film really humanized investors in a way that few have.

Third, phenomenal acting. Across the board, simply terrific.

And lastly, it was just flat out fun. Again, I'm probably a bit biased here as it's a field I have a vested interest in. But I really think this is a movie that a large range of moviegoers can genuinely enjoy. I'm guessing the box office numbers won't be huge (theater was pretty empty when I hit the matinee today), but I hope people give it a chance. I think it will surprise a lot of people who doubted it going in

Highly recommended for all moviegoers