Remember that one time when no one worried about the housing market crashing, because its prices had never before dropped, but then in 2008 they did, and we went into a recession? Yeah, me neither, because I was 8. But then one Sunday afternoon, my mom picked me up with my siblings already in the car and told us that we’re going to see a movie called The Big Short. Most people going into this movie probably just think it’s another one of those business movies that seem all too similar to each other. Well I didn’t even know this movie was about business on that Sunday afternoon, all I knew was that Steve Carell from the Office was in it. My feelings towards the movie only exceeded from there.

Director Adam McKay, who also directed Step Brothers, does a brilliant job bringing life into what could easily be a bunch of men in stiff suits sipping their black coffee while discussing numbers. This fast paced movie jumps from scene to scene, going through the events of what happened to some incredibly smart people leading up to the crash, and the aftermath, too.

As expected, the amount of business jargon and long acronyms is overwhelming, but right when you think that the director has forgotten about you while you are buried deep in this foreign language, a celebrity interrupts the scene to break down, in human terms, what is happening. While this seems as if it is inappropriate, and maybe breaks a few film rules, especially when the celebrities are talking directly towards the camera, it adds flavor as well as simplifies things that would otherwise just be confusing. Because of scenes like these, my emotions were heightened throughout the whole film, from the comical lines thrown out by the beautifully casted characters, to the underlying anger that remained with me even after I exited the theater. These scenes added energy, making the whole experience that much more enjoyable.

Someone could easily get lost in how many characters there are, but each one of them is interconnected to the plot of this story. They each are reliving the stories of real people who had significant involvement with this. Christian Bale’s character, Dr. Michael Burry, played my personal favorite character, but the others were not far behind. He is introduced wearing a t-shirt with no shoes in a traditionally suit and tie office, while listening to rock music on the highest volume. Right away it is obvious this guy isn’t normal. His character continues to develop as a socially awkward man, but when it comes down to it, he knows how to read numbers. This man ended up being one of the few that saw what was going on years in advance, while the big banks, government and media didn’t even look.

The entire time I was in the theater it felt like the audience was being told a secret that was in such plain sight. But the worst part is that this actually happened. The big banks who we are so dependent on were actually doing things they shouldn’t have. A few people actually saw what was going on and when they tried to speak out they were actually turned down. The big men on Wall Street were actually causing all of these problems while living the high life, and watching the poor pay for it. This movie makes you question everything, and it’s that curiosity and anger that drove me to see the movie again two days later, maybe to confirm that I didn’t dream that it happened, maybe to confirm that people are actually capable of pulling that scheme off.