TIFF 2023: Dumb Money Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Now nearing the halfway point of the 2020s, it’s safe to say it has been a tumultuous decade thus far. As most of the world is far enough removed to go about one’s daily life without fear for one’s safety, the remnants of the COVID-19 pandemic still linger. There have been countless pieces of entertainment that explore life in a post-COVID world, but Craig Gillespie’s latest film, Dumb Money, may be the first that feels like an authentic recounting of recent history, rather than offensive pandering. 

Dumb Money stars Paul Dano as Keith Gill, AKA Roaring Kitty, a financial analyst and advisor who frequently lent his expertise to YouTube and Reddit, gaining a passionate following on both platforms throughout 2020. At the height of the pandemic when companies were going bankrupt and billionaires were taking advantage of the collapsing market through hedge fund schemes, Gill took a risk by investing a significant amount of money in GameStop, a company that seemed far past its expiration date. Gill’s enthusiasm and insistence that GameStop was a valuable stock to invest ended up inspiring a community of people around the world, who worked together to revive the company and more importantly send a message to wall street that the working class aren’t going to sit by and let greed and corruption slide. 

Since Adam McKay reinvented his directorial style in 2015 with The Big Short, many filmmakers have attempted to plagiarize his rapid fire, meta-comedic aesthetic, with mostly miserable results. Gillespie’s style is strikingly similar to McKay’s, yet his films are so much tighter, more down to earth and emotionally gratifying, and fortunately that still rings true with his latest effort. While Dumb Money may seem obnoxiously trendy based on the marketing, it’s a cohesive exploration of the events that unfolded in 2020. The film successfully finds comedy in the bizarre nature of living in a post-pandemic world, while also acknowledging the hardships that many have suffered through.

Rather than focusing exclusively on Gill’s unlikely rise to internet fame, writers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo decided to structure the film as a ensemble piece, focusing on an eclectic cast of characters. While he may have started the revolution, it took an entire nation to bring Wall Street sharks to their knees. Dumb Money excels at exploring the dichotomy between the rich and the rest of the world, and how that gap only widened as COVID-19 came into play. The film holds the privileged accountable, and is a rousing celebration of the working class and first responders.

Dano is perfectly cast as the awkward, yet brilliant, financial advisor who stumbles into his role as leader of a bizarre and completely unexpected attack on hedge funds. He is a chameleonic actor who often leans into more dramatic roles, so it’s a refreshing change of pace to see him try his hand at more comedic-leaning material, and pull it off so successfully. Other standouts include America Ferrara, who is having an excellent year and continues to showcase a level of sincerity that few actors are able to bring to the big screen. Nick Offerman, Seth Rogen, Talia Ryder and Anthony Ramos round out the film’s outstanding supporting cast.

Dumb Money was faced with skepticism from the moment it was announced, due to many audiences wanting to forget the events of the turbulent years that just passed, rather than relive it for the sake of entertainment. However, Gillespie justifies the film’s existence by providing a genuinely funny and thoughtful exploration of pandemic life, and a inspiring look into lives of working class citizen’s who banned together to successful hold the ultra-rich accountable for their immoral actions.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Tristan French