Cast: Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell
In 250 Characters or Less:
Before the housing bubble burst, a select few predicted the crash of the housing market and found a way to profit from it. By creating credit default swaps and betting against the housing market these men gambled on banks being greedy and won.
What Works:
To help explain some of the financial concepts they used celebrities -- Margot Robbie in a bubble bath, Anthony Bourdain in his kitchen, Selena Gomez at a blackjack table in Vegas -- who put them into layman's terms. It provided an easy and comprehensive way for those not versatile in financial terms to truly understand just how much the big banks were screwing over the people they were supposed to be protecting.
The cast is also great - Christian Bale is the quirky doctor, turned hedge fund manager, who discovered the flaw in the system; Steve Carell is a day trader with serious anger management and trust issues; Ryan Gosling is the investor who just wants to make as much money as possible; and Brad Pitt is a retired banker who is disgusted with the system, but decides to help out two young investors who are just looking to find their place. The Big Short is definitely worth watching, if not for the acting, then to get your head around what really happened during the financial crisis of '08 and what to look out for in the future.
Be Aware:
The Big Short only amplifies just how greedy banks were. Banks happily created and sold the swaps for hundreds of millions of dollars, thinking it was easy money. I mean, who bets against the housing market? It's the most stable market. But, when you're providing subprime loans to those who have no credit and can't afford it, disaster is bound to happen. While banks were giving out poorly packaged loans, even when loans were being defaulted, ratings companies (S&P and Moody's) continued to give fraudulent AAA ratings to the banks. It was disgusting to watch how banks continued to profit as millions of people continued to lose their homes and jobs.
Overall Grade: A
Bull & Bear Prime Steakhouse
In 250 Characters or Less:
The Big Short threw around quite a bit of financial jargon. Even with all of the explanations served up by celebs like Selena Gomez, it doesn’t hurt to wine and dine alongside the real deal financiers at this reputable steakhouse in Midtown East.
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| Courtesy of BullandBearSteakhouse.com |
What Works:
With the mahogany decor inspired by the New York Stock Exchange, one would think that filming for The Big Short took place at the legendary Waldorf-Astoria Hotel’s Bull & Bear Prime Steakhouse. That said, it has been the place to be for a number of other movie and TV filmings such as for Season Six of Sex and the City. Its sleek and sophisticated ambiance makes for the perfect business meeting and is made even better with its Shellfish Platter (gulf shrimp, oysters, maine lobster, jumbo lump crab, snow crab legs), Bull & Bear Wedge Salad, Steak on Steaks (petit filet mignon, beefsteak tomatoes, maytag blue cheese), and Loaded Baked Potato.
Be Aware:
This is a classy steakhouse so be mindful of your attire. Don’t think that wearing sweatpants will fly -- nor should it at any steakhouse of this caliber. Also, if your plans for a night out include shots and dancing, this isn’t the place for you. Check out Bull & Bear Prime Steakhouse on nights when your plans are to devour filet mignon while sipping on an overpriced Old Fashioned cocktail.
Overall Grade: B
540 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
(212) 872-1275
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