Customer Ratings & Reviews

The film shines with a terrific script and subject on hand-- The big dive of the housing market back in 2008, and the people who were smart enough to capitalize on it! The film is audience friendly and really tries to explain most of the banking terms and info we need in order to get what they are talking about. The film also lends great talents such as, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, and more, in portraying these real life characters who saw this coming when no one else would. A film I've watched 10 times already! Amazing pace. Great writing. Great acting. Also, winner of the oscar for best adapted screenplay, by the way.

DVD HD feature good quality not excellent and the price was rather high at $19.99.

Comedy is tragedy + time, right? We're now over 7 years out from the apex of the American financial crisis, which spiraled outward across the world, and yet what has really changed? People are still making millions/billions off the suffering of others, corporate control reigns supreme, fraud is common and remains largely unknown, wealth continues to be ever more concentrated in the grasp of a few, and the remainder of the populace are treated as proverbial rats and made to feel uncouth should they question the system and question not wanting to live their lives playing this sadistic game. Taking 2 pennies and selling them to someone for a hundred dollars remains a legal activity, just call those pennies by a different name and suddenly it's okay to pass them off as fair market. It doesn't sound funny at all, but The Big Short succeeds in turning this demented and corrupt circus into something improbably hilarious and probing. The power of comedy is its ability to let us see something from a different viewpoint, allow us to process it in ways we wouldn't have been able to otherwise. As we might laugh at children for the hilariously unaware things they say and do, so too will humankind in the future hopefully laugh at how completely pathetic and ignorant our present society has been. Martin Scorsese opened the flap up into the circus entrance with "The Wolf of Wall Street" and, while making good points, was perhaps a bit too concerned with his own technique and had a bit too much indulgence reveling in the frivolity of it all. The Big Short completely blows the top of the circus and dissects it in every way, starting with the widespread fraud and greed in business, and then examining how it has seeped into our entire existences. Even the good guys here are ultimately out there to make money, lots of it. Isn't that what society tells us we must to do, in order to be valuable? It's sick. McKay's approach here is "throw everything in, including the kitchen sink" and that creates an energetic, brilliantly matched representation of the subject matter. This does not mean he is lacking control, however. The story being told includes so many facets and characters that it easily could have fallen into disarray, but McKay makes every single character memorable and illuminates every piece of jargon that could be confusing from the outset. It's a huge accomplishment and a far more important one than might seem apparent. The things that were allowed to happen in the realms of business, finance, and banking are absolutely INSANE and unbelievable. It has to be largely comedic because there's no other way of delivering this vast amount of information and complete failure of our entire society and make it all snap into place so continuously, without being ripped apart by the overwhelming darkness of it all. This isn't simply circumstantial and theoretical and mysterious to a degree, as in Oliver Stone's "JFK", but the cold hard truth. It's not enough to even ask for the truth anymore and ask for answers, we need to question the entire system, a whole web of poisonous bonds that have tightly wound themselves so entirely around us. The work of the film itself is allowing us to project our thoughts, our fears, our anger, and our confusions into this convoluted conundrum. All while being told the truth, so that we at least have a place to even start down the correct path of understanding. It's acting as our own investigative journey in a time when actual news and journalism has become a tiny spec of its former self. We now have more information than ever available to us, yet it's often so shrouded and twisted as to become unrecognizable. There are still those who fear education for what it would do to their own position in life, how it would challenge their own reality. We are still held under the thumb of "greed is good", "thinking you're inherently better is good", "vanity is good". The shiny mainstream hallmarks of a typical Hollywoood commercial product - the agreeable lighting and manicured actors and tidy locations - are so perfectly representative in this film of the emptiness within the characters and indeed in our entire society. After all the progress we think we've made towards world peace and human rights and medical advances and the stability of the human race, have we lost sight of what a fulfilling life and a world of justice should really be? Aren't we still captive to the same pointless rituals and superficialities, doesn't a veritable monarch and royal court still control most everything? We are now living our lives working for something that can be wiped out with the stroke of a keyboard. We are told something of monetary worth that is non-existent, for all intents and purposes, is something we should strive for. Making a bet on the outcome of another bet is a whole industry. The non-existent and ridiculous and pointless directly hurts the lives of many. The Big Short is one of the most important films of this era and one of the best. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. It is an illumination, a magical pairing of a director's sensibility to exactly the correct form that most fully allows it to blossom and hold water. It is water which the film warns us will be the next basic human necessity to be denied by those few who hold powe

I watch this video to remind me of what can happen and did happen that cause many to suffer. Outstanding casting and well written.

In the context of the film it makes perfect sense, but squeezed in among last seasons holiday releases The Big Short unfortunately seemed to be one of the more forgettable titles. It helped marginally that the faces on the poster are four of Hollywood's heaviest hitters with Brad Pitt bringing in the biggest pull (and ironically putting in the least amount of screen time), but even this didn't feel like enough to distract moviegoers from what is always a saturated market only made worse here by a complicated story that has been relayed in sardonic terms by the director of Anchorman. Of course, if you've payed attention to any of Adam McKay's work you'd know the director of Anchorman and other such Will Ferrell comedies including Talladega Nights and The Other Guys is actually the perfect choice for a film that desires to tell of the housing market crash that occurred in America in 2008. It is a story in need of sharp social commentary, of a mind that might give the boring numbers game an insightful twist and McKay is able to deliver on all fronts by crafting a final product that is as funny and stinging as it is heartbreaking and tragic-a detriment, almost, to the American spirit. And yet, throughout the over two hour runtime the film never ceases to be breathlessly entertaining. There is so much going on, so many words being spoken, so many deals being made, and so many new characters being introduced at such rapid rates that we never have time to settle in, but rather stay perched on the edge of our seats. With its hands in so many different pots it would be easy for the The Big Short to go off the rails, but somewhat unexpectedly the film finds a certain groove in its latter half that, while not matching the frenetic speed of the first two acts, brings in the necessary levity that strikes the perfect balance between both the ridiculousness of the situation and the dire real world consequences. McKay, working from his and Charles Randolph's screenplay that is based on the book by Michael Lewis (The Blind Side, Moneyball), is able to remain so laser focused on what makes these characters so interesting in their own right that the fact they exist in this compelling real world situation is only icing on the cake.

This movie is an entertaining way to tell the story of individuals that were very close to the market collapse and the dominos falling to a painful moment in U.S. history!

An in-depth look on the housing crisis and how people made money, the film makers also break down what is happening so you can understand it. Love the DVD and Digital.

If you like this type of movie genre this movie is great. Really gets you thinking how how the big banks screwed people then and still now.

Talk about an intense and tricky story – there are lots of different “player” groups that are woven into this very real complex story – and this is it in spades. The morals, the belief of entitlement and the outright greed – it all got ahead of itself and the house of cards collapsed. When something is described to you in impersonal, boring tones, with ill-defined terms that makes you feel stupid, that you can’t get past, so you don’t understand the scam. That’s how MBOs and their derivatives (CDO’s and the like) – which were the “junk” – were sold. And the buyer’s antenna just didn’t go up and the “suckers” bought and bought and bought but didn’t really know what they were buying. The story is well-told by the entire cast, the Director tied it all together, and the visual story had an air of intimacy and a sense of urgency in every scene. Finally, lashing it together is a strong and audacious sound-track presented in dtsX that puts you in the middle of this masterfully told story. What a Great View!

This movie has it all - it's intelligent, witty, emotional, and well-executed. Also very eye-opening. A satisfying watch. Highly recommend.

Director Adam McKay is best known for his comedies with Will Ferrell ("Anchorman," "Talladega Nights"), so by his own reckoning he probably was the last person expected to tackle adapting Michael Lewis's bestselling book about a handful of misfit investors who noticed the housing bubble in the mid-2000s and "shorted" the market in the years before 2008's crash. However, he proves to be the perfect choice-boiling down complex financial jargon in a way that is easy for a layperson to understand, often through the use of celebrity cameos like Anthony Bourdain or Selena Gomez. The actors playing the investors (led by Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, and Ryan Gosling) are all excellent, and although McKay keeps the pace breezy and injects a lot of humor into the proceedings, this is an angry film, angry at the greed and stupidity of the banks responsible for the collapse, at the weakness of the government regulators to stop it, and the absence of meaningful journalistic scrutiny to let the public know what was happening. And the widespread pain caused by the crash is on full display (the irony that the "heroes" of the film are getting rich at the expense of most Americans is not lost on anyone). The Big Short was nominated for multiple Oscars and is rightly regarded as one of 2015's best films. The Blu-ray delivers excellent picture and sound, and a handful of solid extras (although a commentary would have been nice). Well worth a purchase.

Had to add this to my collection of financial movies. Great movie on the inside of what happened during the home financial crises.

A good movie of the lead up to the recession. Great acting my Carell, Bale, and Pitt.

Very enjoyable movie Definitely worth a few more watching

I did not know what to expect from this film, so I read through as many critic reviews as I could before deciding on purchasing the Blu-ray. It's certainly not a new argument - that the U.S. financial sector was largely responsible for the recent collapse of our economy - yet this film manages to add nuance and fresh insights as well as eccentric characters making the film a fresh and enjoyable cinematic experience. The acting, directing, and writing of the film are enough to make this easily worth the price. It was definitely one of the top films of the year, and it's Oscar nomination was well deserved. The checkout in store was quick and very efficient, and the product was as expected - undamaged, and in perfect working condition. I definitely recommend buying this from Best Buy's stores, to all interested parties.

One of the must watch movie. Really greated a lot of awareness.

"The Big Short" came across as more authentic than other recent similarly-themed films, which seemed intended for implausible entertainment rather than information. Not that there's anything wrong with big budget capers starring A-list actors; I happen to love Leonardo DiCaprio (though not so keen on George Clooney lately). This movie portrayed the events, intrigue and chicanery surrounding a major financial catastrophe, explaining subprime mortgage lending and the related market upheaval very well. With so much focus this year on Wall Street regulation, it was good to see these topics described in an accessible way (a fun Margot Robbie cameo), so that the general public can understand why such scrutiny is being requested, and how important it is to pay attention.

Director Adam McKay is known for his zany comedies (the Anchorman movies), but he turns to a serious subject by adapting author Michael Lewis's nonfiction bestseller The Big Short, about a group of eccentric investors who noticed the housing bubble in the mid 2000s and bet against it (the "short" in the title). While the film is very funny, McKay is able to demonstrate how a combination of greed recklessness, stupidity, and timidity led to the greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression. An all-star cast led by Christian Bale, Steve Carrell and Brad Pitt is also terrific. You'll laugh, but by the end you'll be fuming at what Wall Street did-and got away with.

I like to think I'm a reasonably smart person, and even though they do try to dumb down the complexity I still had a hard time following certain aspects of the story. I probably need to watch this movie another time or two to appreciate it. With that said the ensemble cast was fantastic. So well acted and a nice balance of comedy and drama. I think after another viewing this will be a 5 star movie for me. If you only watch it once read up on the topic and make sure you pay close attention when the movie covers the complexity with some really fun cameos. Really cool approach by the writers.

I feel like more people should watch this film because people still blame immigrants, teachers, and others for the collapse of the economy in 2008. Adam McKay treats the subject matter perfectly. He explains every little thing in simple ways but never treats the viewer like they're idiots. The performances were all great. Even Christian Bale as Michael Burry. This film deserved all of the praise that it got. Just a fair warning, the trailer is a bit misleading. All characters have their own storyline (except Carrell and Gosling who share a storyline.)