The prospect of a talented, comedic filmmaker changing things up and tackling something a little weightier, is always an exciting one. It promises a different, refreshing perspective on serious matters, and that can only be productive, in the grand scheme of things. So, when Anchorman director Adam McKay committed to making The Big Short, people paid attention.
The film is an adaptation of the 2010 bestseller The Big Short: Inside The Doomsday Machine, by Michael Lewis, which focuses on high profile financial players involved in the build up to the global economic collapse – specifically those that believed the housing bubble was going to burst. McKay’s movie centres on a group of men who develop an idea that would involve betting against the trend, and ultimately profiting from the crisis.
Much like some of the characters seen in this latest trailer, I have a bad feeling about this. First of all, despite a super-serious voiceover and dramatic music, this preview footage builds no tension at all – despite its emotive, heavy-duty subject matter. It is punctuated by humour, but this also falls flat because it is mostly delivered by Ryan Gosling – doing exactly what we’ve seen him do many times before.
Perhaps it is the fact that – even though these were ‘Davids’, going up against a corrupt ‘Goliath’ – it is difficult to sympathise with people able to generate profit while so many others were bankrupted. Perhaps it is the fact that Academy-Award winner Marisa Tomei seems to be filling the role of ‘Hero’s Wife’ – existing solely to provide comfort to her brave and courageous husband, while reminding him of the scary nature of his activities. Or, perhaps, it is the distracting nature of the unusual hair on these Oscar-baiting male heads. Whatever the reason for this disappointing trailer, let’s hope that the film in its entirety proves more compelling.
The Big Short will have a limited release from December 11th 2015, opening wide on December 23rd.
