The year 2020 is infamously known as the year that changed all our lives for good. Whether it was due to losing a friend or loved one or being locked up in the house for months, most of us agree that it’s the year we’re happy to forget. For Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” his is a different story. In 2020, Gill began to publicly advocate for GameStop stock through a series of videos and on Reddit. Little did he know his efforts would lead to one of the greatest short squeezes in the history of the stock market. It’s no surprise then that his story would be adapted into a film only a few years later. Directed by Craig Gillespie, Dumb Money is a crowd-pleasing story with great performances and a script that keeps it simple.
Paul Dano stars at Keith Gill, an American financial analyst whose passion for the stock market gets poured into live-streaming videos and Reddit. After investing over $50,000 of his life savings in GameStop stock and posting about it, his life begins to turn upside down. Gill’s social media posts and videos begin to blow up, and before he knows it, he becomes the nation’s most famous regular guy. With other little guys on his side to back his “I Like the Stock” motto, small-time investors begin to see their world turned upside down. Unfortunately for the billionaires, so have theirs, and they’re unwilling to let the average Joes win.
If you’re thinking that Gillespie’s Dumb Money is anything like Adam McKay’s 2015 feature, The Big Short, you wouldn’t be wrong. Think of this one as the feel-good, smaller version with just as many cameos and fewer intricate explanations and analogies. Alongside Dano, there’s Shailene Woodley, Pete Davidson, America Ferrera, Talia Ryder, Myha’la Herrold, and Anthony Ramos — all of whom are a part of Gill’s army of GameStop believers. On the other side of the coin are some big-name hedge fund managers like Seth Rogen’s Gabe Plotkin, Sebastian Stan’s Vlad Tenev, Nick Offerman’s Kenneth Griffin, and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Steve Cohen. Though the film contains a lot of important characters, all get their time to shine as they move the story along.
Dumb Money also takes on a more lighthearted approach in its storytelling compared to its stock market predecessors. This is a story that recognizes the ridiculousness of its origin and uses it as a strength in lieu of the more informational approach. The script takes few chances to bore its audience with confusing jargon or complicated explanations, leaning into its natural crowd-pleasing nature. As a result, it becomes a story that feels relatable and timeless with an emphasis on entertaining. And by the film’s third act, it feels like we’re watching the underdogs win and history unfold all over again.
When Dumb Money doesn’t rely on our instinctual gravitation towards emotional moments, the film tends to drag. For example, it does take a while for the film to find its footing in the first act with respect to Gill’s journey. Additionally, the song selections are quite peculiar and don’t always fit the scenes in which they play. And if they do, they tend to overpower the scenes. Thankfully, these moments never last long enough to make a big difference in the film’s quality; and frankly, some actors, including the scene-stealing, hilarious Pete Davidson, find a way to distract us from these hurdles.
A fascinating, entertaining story about Keith Gill’s rise to stock market fame, Dumb Money is a thrilling ride down memory lane for the underdogs. 2020 may have transformed our lives from a physical and mental health standpoint, but Gill’s efforts of pushing GameStop to the forefront revolutionized the game for small-time investors. Gillespie’s recount of such a fascinating time in stock market history is crowd-pleasing in all the ways a film should be when it comes to a story about the little guy. And thanks to the great performances and an easy-to-follow script from Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo (based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Antisocial Network), Dumb Money will have you ready to cheer while Gill and his supporters take on Wall Street.
This review was written during the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Dumb Money will be released in theaters nationwide on September 29. The film is 104 minutes long and rated R for drug use, sexual material, and pervasive language.
