Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Big Short

Play trailer 2:04 Poster for The Big Short R 2015 2h 10m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 325 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
In 2008, Wall Street guru Michael Burry realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing market by throwing more than $1 billion of his investors' money into credit default swaps. His actions attract the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and other greedy opportunists. Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Big Short

The Big Short

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The Big Short approaches a serious, complicated subject with an impressive attention to detail -- and manages to deliver a well-acted, scathingly funny indictment of its real-life villains in the bargain.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online 09/01/2017
D
... it wreaks of self-important pseudo-commentary that is more hollow and garishly humorous than it cares to admit. Go to Full Review
Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com 08/16/2016
3/4
While The Big Short is hardly uplifting, it still manages to tell a rambunctiously funny tale that's as informative as it is entertaining, humor walking hand-in-hand with tragedy to ultimately craft a comedy that's impossible to dismiss. Go to Full Review
Max Weiss Baltimore Magazine 06/12/2016
3.5/4
Adam McKay's The Big Short plays like an elaborate con, albeit one that uses its powers for good. Go to Full Review
Grant Watson Fiction Machine Jun 24
10/10
This is such an improbably brilliant film. Go to Full Review
Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson 02/16/2024
5/5
Headlined by a star-studded cast, this legitimate must-see film tip-toes audaciously between biting satire and topical cautionary tale. You won't know whether to be pissed or be entertained and that's a powerful quality to pull off. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 08/27/2023
'The Big Short' is the film that we needed at this time. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Tyler P. @TylerPhoenixMD 4d Really interesting movie! Kinda complicated with the terms but they try to explain it a really funny way! See more Kyler G @KylerG 5d This is a unique kind of movie, and the subject itself is complicated. The filmmakers chose an unconventional approach to tell the story, but it doesn’t translate well on screen. The constant breaking of the fourth wall and the self-aware, meta elements end up feeling messy rather than clever. It could have been executed far better with a unified, coherent narrative. In its current state, the film sits awkwardly between a movie and a documentary—neither fully committing to one nor the other—and as a result, it feels poorly executed. See more Maryann B @OldLace Dec 17 The subject is complex, and isn't easy to understand but the bottom line is absolutely clear. All the performances are excellent, especially Steve Carrel's, and Christian Bale's. The banks take our money, and if they make money they win. If they lose our money, they still win and we lose everything, homes, jobs, and lives. We bailed them out with our money, and like fools, by electing a life long fraudster, allowing him to fill our government with his 'gritocratic elite' pals we are allowing them to do it to us again. I wish Senator Elizabeth Warren would release a documentary that would explain this in terms the American public could understand. See more Georgia H @GPower2000 Dec 12 A fantastic film. I particularly appreciate the number of absolutely legendary performances, led by Steve Carell and Christian Bale. The plot is very chaotic at first, but around the middle of the film it starts to pick up speed and ultimately comes across better than the vast majority of films about the financial sector, I dare say. What I appreciate most is the minor "immersion" into the complexities of financial markets with the help of simplifying scenes, which were excellently designed and executed. See more Isaac S Nov 27 The Big Short was an incredible depiction of the constant real winners. The poor always suffer and the right are always disregarded. See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Nov 20 I didn't understand all the money lingo, or even the situation itself, but whatever. Great cast. Really funny. My favorite part: Christian Bale listening to Master of Puppets. I was caught off guard soo much. That was awesome. See more Read all reviews
The Big Short

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

The Big Short

The Big Short: Official Clip - I Want My Money Back The Big Short: Official Clip - I Want My Money Back 2:13 The Big Short: Official Clip - Risky Assessors The Big Short: Official Clip - Risky Assessors 2:02 The Big Short: Official Clip - Margot Robbie in a Bubble Bath The Big Short: Official Clip - Margot Robbie in a Bubble Bath 1:27 The Big Short: Official Clip - The Firm Investigates Florida The Big Short: Official Clip - The Firm Investigates Florida 2:12 The Big Short: Official Clip - Betting Against the Housing Market The Big Short: Official Clip - Betting Against the Housing Market 1:58 The Big Short: Official Clip - Fraud Never Works The Big Short: Official Clip - Fraud Never Works 2:05 The Big Short: Official Clip - The Jenga Pitch The Big Short: Official Clip - The Jenga Pitch 2:01 The Big Short: Official Clip - The CDO Manager & Mark Baum The Big Short: Official Clip - The CDO Manager & Mark Baum 2:02 The Big Short: Official Clip - Selena Gomez Teaches CDOs The Big Short: Official Clip - Selena Gomez Teaches CDOs 2:13 The Big Short: Official Clip - Cashing Out The Big Short: Official Clip - Cashing Out 1:57 View more videos
Kajillionaire 90% 47% Kajillionaire Watchlist TRAILER for Kajillionaire Brad's Status 79% 55% Brad's Status Watchlist TRAILER for Brad's Status The Private Lives of Pippa Lee 69% 50% The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Watchlist War Dogs 62% 69% War Dogs Watchlist TRAILER for War Dogs Demolition 53% 55% Demolition Watchlist TRAILER for Demolition Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis In 2008, Wall Street guru Michael Burry realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing market by throwing more than $1 billion of his investors' money into credit default swaps. His actions attract the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and other greedy opportunists. Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America.
Director
Adam McKay
Producer
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Arnon Milchan
Screenwriter
Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Plan B Entertainment
Rating
R (Some Sexuality/Nudity|Pervasive Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 23, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$70.2M
Runtime
2h 10m
Most Popular at Home Now