The Big Short

Play trailer

2:04

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

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

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

Frans B

@FransB 5d

Brilliant! Very intelligently written and directed. Stellar cast all excels convincingly in character. Great cinematography keeps up and puts emphasis on the frantic pace. One of those movies you really have to pay attention. Amazing that these guys really figured it out and made fortunes from total economic disaster. Lots of conniving, gritty comments, funny peculiar and funny haha moments, legit fast talking, sharp wit, drama, suspense, gambling with uncertain notions, emotion and rollercoaster trading schemes. Very entertaining and captivating

See more

Arnold R

@RT02951818 Jun 2

One of two great movies about the 2008 financial crisis, the other being Margin Call. The Big Short is about investors who begin to see a looming collapse of the mortgage market and try to make a killing, Margin Call tells the looming collapse story from inside a giant bank. The two films complement each other perfectly.

See more

Andrew D

@RT39277609 May 2

A potentially dry topic made both educational and very entertaining. Great cast, well written and directed. Some of the driest material delivered by Margot Robbie in a bubble bath. Clever, clever storytelling. Love it.

See more

Philip I

@RT42833678 Apr 30

This movie is INSANE. If you are only remotely interested in the economy (micro-/macroeconomics). This movie will show you everything that is wrong with economies and open your eyes a bit.

See more

Safiullah C.

@RT90033158 Apr 20

Can revisit this movie again and again.

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 30

The worldwide gross is $133,400,000.00 over a budget of $50,000,000.00.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Adam McKay

Director

Steve Carell

Mark Baum

Ryan Gosling

Jared Vennett

Christian Bale

Michael Burry

Brad Pitt

Ben Rickert

Marisa Tomei

Cynthia Baum

The Big Short: Official Clip - I Want My Money Back

2:13

The Big Short: Official Clip - Risky Assessors

2:02

The Big Short: Official Clip - Margot Robbie in a Bubble Bath

1:27

The Big Short: Official Clip - The Firm Investigates Florida

2:12

The Big Short: Official Clip - Betting Against the Housing Market

1:58

The Big Short: Official Clip - Fraud Never Works

2:05

The Big Short: Official Clip - The Jenga Pitch

2:01

The Big Short: Official Clip - The CDO Manager & Mark Baum

2:02

The Big Short: Official Clip - Selena Gomez Teaches CDOs

2:13

The Big Short: Official Clip - Cashing Out

1:57

View more videos

Kajillionaire

90%

47%

Kajillionaire

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Kajillionaire

Brad's Status

78%

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%

56%

Demolition

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Demolition

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Loved Succession? Here Are 10 Things To Watch Next

National Board of Review Announces 2017 Award Winners

Al Gore’s Five Favorite Films

The Big Short: B-Roll

2:35

The Big Short: Trailer 2

2:04

The Big Short: Trailer 1

2:33

View more videos

View more photos

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