Mack, I was thinking about this movie a couple of weeks ago. Everything you said about conspiracy theories.... including realizing that maybe some of them are true so others might be too....is so a propos.
Never seen the film as I actually understood what was happening in real time- my background is in finance - and couldn’t believe people were buying the securitized debt packages. I’m glad that this film brought out the real story. The lack of regulatory structure beforehand and the nonsensical bailouts afterwards are the worst part of the story in my view. Except for the poor housing victims. Well done!
Great film, and who could forget Margot Robbie's cameo, introduced by Ryan Gosling: "Wall Street loves to use confusing terms to make you think only they can do what they do. Or, even better, to just leave them alone. So, here's Margot Robbie in a bubble bath to explain."
Really enjoyed this Mack. Completely agree with you regarding conspiracy theories. I used to think they were all crazy, but after Covid I'm paying much more attention...
I haven't seen this movie but have heard lots about it, and after reading your write up I think I'll check it out this upcoming Easter.
I'm definitely not a conspiracy theorist... but I do hold that there are a great many things we don't always see. I don't know if you have any friends in the Defence / Intelligence sector, but it really is a completely different world. There are so many stories that the vast majority of people just don't have any insight into, mostly because a lot of it is just straight up confidential.
The movie: The Men Who Stare at Goats is presented as a comedy... except it is based on real events. It's like The Big Short but for this one weird 'supernatural' division of the intelligence sector from a couple of decades ago.
I love this film - even though it is sickening, it's also witty, entertaining, and unbearably sad, too. People are shocked by the level of corruption in the developing world, but it's much worse in the richest countries. Hiding in plain sight.
I’ve never seen this movie. I’ll have to check it out. I think Steve Carell is one of those underrated actors. And yes some of the big businesses can run themselves into the ground and still get bailed out, just like the auto industry.
But if the big banks collapse or other huge infrastructures, it’s not just the people who already lost their homes etc. who suffer—even more people end up getting hit. It’s one of those situations where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Insight 1: The Movie Markets Reality; Too Well Collier sharply observes that The Big Short may have been too effective at telling the truth. Despite A-list actors, critical acclaim, and financial success, its impact feels strangely muted—like it tapped too close to real-world corruption for comfort. The idea that it didn't become a cultural juggernaut suggests that marketing a "real conspiracy" might be more complex than selling a fictional one.
Insight 2: The Ethics of Profit in Crisis Through Steve Carell’s character, the film and Collier’s review wrestle with the moral tension of profiting from catastrophe. The arc of realization that winning the bet means mass suffering echoes a broader question: What does it mean to be "right" in a broken system? That discomfort is the film’s punch, and Collier captures it well.
Insight 3: The Conspiracy Door Swings Wide Collier’s shift from conspiracy skeptic to reluctant realist mirrors a cultural pattern: Once systemic fraud becomes undeniable, skepticism isn’t paranoia, it’s pattern recognition. His rhetorical question, “If this was happening in 2008, what’s happening now?” is chilling and familiar in 2025.
Recommendation: Treat This Series Like a Trojan Horse Keep embedding media literacy and systemic critique inside these film reviews. Marketing and Movies aren’t just fun; they’re subversive. Lean harder into the dual narrative: how the film markets itself and what it unmasks. Next stop: Nolan’s Memento. A perfect lens for our current national case of amnesia.
Thanks!! Most of my work is pretty dry, but AI and Emotional Fluency are becoming a pretty universal experience as more people navigate how AI works in their lives.
This is great. Thanks for putting it together with the clips. It is very scary. Michael Lewis is a good author, bringing together this story before the movie. Steve Carell is great. I am usually a conspiracy skeptic, but I have been reading Sarah Kendzior's books (like "They Knew") and she is consistently right. Have a good Tuesday.
I was working at Bear Stearns when 2008 happened, and saw it all from the center of the storm. It was real, and I lived it. I even remember, about a year before this, when I was shown the risk models. I read them and immediately saw how inadequate they were. 2008 proved the point with a vengeance.
Wow, Nick! I can only imagine what that was like to see the day to day change as coworkers and peers began to realize what was happening and what could happen.
I’ve also found myself revisiting old assumptions about conspiracy theories (not the tinfoil-hat kind) but the ones rooted in power structures, incentives, and willful ignorance. When institutions repeatedly fail in plain sight, you start to wonder, is it really a “theory” anymore or.......?
For example, I call American healthcare a Mafia - designed to get us sick and keep us there.
I agree totally on healthcare and think you are completely correct. I think a lot of people feel the same way and that number is growing every day. Happy Tuesday :)
Great writeup of a great movie. As someone who worked in banking during this time, I too, couldn't believe what happened after it happened. Watching this movie confirmed for me how others will do what the 'competition' does, even it it means following them into a dark hole. I once said to my boss who was talking about the 'competition', "Why don't we decide and then let the competition follow us?" He thought about it for a moment and said, 'I like how you think' then proceeded to do what the banks have always done. Follow everyone else... Sigh.. Glad I got out of that relatively unscathed (though I was let go with tens of thousands of other folks in banking.) Glad to be here today !
Hi Joyce! I’m so glad you liked The Big Short. And it sounds like your boss was really saying that you were making them uncomfortable by asking them to think independently. Plus I think most people know when something is wrong, and if they see everyone else doing something wrong, I guess it gives them a sense of cover? As if their actions aren’t quite as ‘wrong’ if they are just following the herd? Glad you stood up for what was right, wish more people would.
Mack, I was thinking about this movie a couple of weeks ago. Everything you said about conspiracy theories.... including realizing that maybe some of them are true so others might be too....is so a propos.
This is a great article. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Melissa! I’m glad you enjoyed it, such a good movie! Have a lovely Easter weekend!
Never seen the film as I actually understood what was happening in real time- my background is in finance - and couldn’t believe people were buying the securitized debt packages. I’m glad that this film brought out the real story. The lack of regulatory structure beforehand and the nonsensical bailouts afterwards are the worst part of the story in my view. Except for the poor housing victims. Well done!
I’ve never heard of this Mack! Need to watch it.
You do, Emaline! It’s so good but will also piss you off.
Great film, and who could forget Margot Robbie's cameo, introduced by Ryan Gosling: "Wall Street loves to use confusing terms to make you think only they can do what they do. Or, even better, to just leave them alone. So, here's Margot Robbie in a bubble bath to explain."
Yes, so funny lol!
Really enjoyed this Mack. Completely agree with you regarding conspiracy theories. I used to think they were all crazy, but after Covid I'm paying much more attention...
Yes, me too, Hege!
I remember the sub prime crisis happening and thought no way the government could allow this to happen.
I mean....its the banks for God's sake. That's a whole different level of trust.
Guess that was just the beginning of the end.
Yes. In so many ways. That loss of trust is still resonating today.
I haven't seen this movie but have heard lots about it, and after reading your write up I think I'll check it out this upcoming Easter.
I'm definitely not a conspiracy theorist... but I do hold that there are a great many things we don't always see. I don't know if you have any friends in the Defence / Intelligence sector, but it really is a completely different world. There are so many stories that the vast majority of people just don't have any insight into, mostly because a lot of it is just straight up confidential.
The movie: The Men Who Stare at Goats is presented as a comedy... except it is based on real events. It's like The Big Short but for this one weird 'supernatural' division of the intelligence sector from a couple of decades ago.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Scott! I have seen The Men Who Stare at Goats but really don’t remember it. I will try to rewatch it soon.
I love this film - even though it is sickening, it's also witty, entertaining, and unbearably sad, too. People are shocked by the level of corruption in the developing world, but it's much worse in the richest countries. Hiding in plain sight.
Hi Lisa. Yes, unfortunately. More money = more corruption.
I’ve never seen this movie. I’ll have to check it out. I think Steve Carell is one of those underrated actors. And yes some of the big businesses can run themselves into the ground and still get bailed out, just like the auto industry.
But if the big banks collapse or other huge infrastructures, it’s not just the people who already lost their homes etc. who suffer—even more people end up getting hit. It’s one of those situations where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Happy Tuesday Mack!!! 😊
Happy Tuesday, Bette! The Big Short is great, you’ll love it!
I'll have to definitely watch it. It's definitely a star packed cast.
Insight 1: The Movie Markets Reality; Too Well Collier sharply observes that The Big Short may have been too effective at telling the truth. Despite A-list actors, critical acclaim, and financial success, its impact feels strangely muted—like it tapped too close to real-world corruption for comfort. The idea that it didn't become a cultural juggernaut suggests that marketing a "real conspiracy" might be more complex than selling a fictional one.
Insight 2: The Ethics of Profit in Crisis Through Steve Carell’s character, the film and Collier’s review wrestle with the moral tension of profiting from catastrophe. The arc of realization that winning the bet means mass suffering echoes a broader question: What does it mean to be "right" in a broken system? That discomfort is the film’s punch, and Collier captures it well.
Insight 3: The Conspiracy Door Swings Wide Collier’s shift from conspiracy skeptic to reluctant realist mirrors a cultural pattern: Once systemic fraud becomes undeniable, skepticism isn’t paranoia, it’s pattern recognition. His rhetorical question, “If this was happening in 2008, what’s happening now?” is chilling and familiar in 2025.
Recommendation: Treat This Series Like a Trojan Horse Keep embedding media literacy and systemic critique inside these film reviews. Marketing and Movies aren’t just fun; they’re subversive. Lean harder into the dual narrative: how the film markets itself and what it unmasks. Next stop: Nolan’s Memento. A perfect lens for our current national case of amnesia.
Wow, thank you Rachel! Just subbed, very much appreciate the comment!
Thanks!! Most of my work is pretty dry, but AI and Emotional Fluency are becoming a pretty universal experience as more people navigate how AI works in their lives.
This is great. Thanks for putting it together with the clips. It is very scary. Michael Lewis is a good author, bringing together this story before the movie. Steve Carell is great. I am usually a conspiracy skeptic, but I have been reading Sarah Kendzior's books (like "They Knew") and she is consistently right. Have a good Tuesday.
Hi Hans. Yes I just realized a couple of weeks ago that he also wrote Moneyball. Will check out They Knew, thanks for that!
I was working at Bear Stearns when 2008 happened, and saw it all from the center of the storm. It was real, and I lived it. I even remember, about a year before this, when I was shown the risk models. I read them and immediately saw how inadequate they were. 2008 proved the point with a vengeance.
Wow, Nick! I can only imagine what that was like to see the day to day change as coworkers and peers began to realize what was happening and what could happen.
I remember being by the trading desks when we all stopped to watch our CEO on CNBC talking about how our company was fine.
NARRATOR: They were not fine.
Wow. I bet that was a surreal moment.
I saw and loved the movie The Big Short.
I’ve also found myself revisiting old assumptions about conspiracy theories (not the tinfoil-hat kind) but the ones rooted in power structures, incentives, and willful ignorance. When institutions repeatedly fail in plain sight, you start to wonder, is it really a “theory” anymore or.......?
For example, I call American healthcare a Mafia - designed to get us sick and keep us there.
Looking forward to your take on Memento
Happy Tuesday Mack (not Mark)
I agree totally on healthcare and think you are completely correct. I think a lot of people feel the same way and that number is growing every day. Happy Tuesday :)
Oh, have you seen Dumb Money?
all true - I know because I made money from that whole beautiful movement.
No ma’am, I will look for it!
u will love it :)
Everything in that movie was spot on, exactly as it occurred.
Hi Mack,
Great writeup of a great movie. As someone who worked in banking during this time, I too, couldn't believe what happened after it happened. Watching this movie confirmed for me how others will do what the 'competition' does, even it it means following them into a dark hole. I once said to my boss who was talking about the 'competition', "Why don't we decide and then let the competition follow us?" He thought about it for a moment and said, 'I like how you think' then proceeded to do what the banks have always done. Follow everyone else... Sigh.. Glad I got out of that relatively unscathed (though I was let go with tens of thousands of other folks in banking.) Glad to be here today !
Hi Joyce! I’m so glad you liked The Big Short. And it sounds like your boss was really saying that you were making them uncomfortable by asking them to think independently. Plus I think most people know when something is wrong, and if they see everyone else doing something wrong, I guess it gives them a sense of cover? As if their actions aren’t quite as ‘wrong’ if they are just following the herd? Glad you stood up for what was right, wish more people would.