The Big Short (film)

The Big Short
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAdam McKay
Screenplay by
Based onThe Big Short
by Michael Lewis
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBarry Ackroyd
Edited byHank Corwin
Music byNicholas Britell
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • November 12, 2015 (2015-11-12) (AFI Fest)
  • December 11, 2015 (2015-12-11) (United States)
Running time
130 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million[2]
Box office$133.4 million[3]

The Big Short is a 2015 American biographical crime comedy-drama film directed and co-written by Adam McKay. Co-written by Charles Randolph, it is based on the 2010 book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis showing how the 2007–2008 financial crisis was triggered by the United States housing bubble.[4] The film stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt, with John Magaro, Finn Wittrock, Hamish Linklater, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, and Marisa Tomei in supporting roles.

To explain financial instruments, the film features cameo appearances by actress Margot Robbie, chef Anthony Bourdain, singer-songwriter Selena Gomez, economist Richard Thaler, and others who break the fourth wall to explain concepts such as subprime mortgages and synthetic collateralized debt obligations.[5] Several of the film's characters directly address the audience, most frequently Gosling's, who serves as the narrator.

The Big Short began a limited release in the United States on December 11, 2015, followed by a wide release on December 23 by Paramount Pictures.[6][7] A critical and commercial success, the film grossed $133 million on a $50 million budget and received acclaim for the performances of the cast (particularly that of Bale), McKay's direction, editing, and the screenplay. The film won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in addition to nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Bale), and Best Film Editing.

  1. ^ "The Big Short (15)". British Board of Film Classification. November 9, 2015. Archived from the original on November 16, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  2. ^ FilmL.A. (June 15, 2016). "2015 Feature Film Study". Archived from the original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  3. ^ "The Big Short (2015) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference McKay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Finely, Dash (December 16, 2015). "The Big Secrets Of The Big Short: How Unexpected Cameos Impact The Year's Must-See Film". MoviePilot.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Paramount pushes 'The Big Short' into awards season". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "The Big Short | Trailer & Movie Site | December 2015". The Big Short. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.