There are moments where the vast ensemble shines, and the most compelling character is definitely Dano’s Gill. Dano is a gifted performer, and he’s excellent here as a man who holds his head above water when most would be hugely overwhelmed. His wife, played by Shailene Woodley, is mostly there to knowingly smile and nod at the right times and provide encouragement — it’s a shame that her character falls into the annoying trope of the doting wife to a great man, without getting much of a personality of her own.
For a story as surprising and unpredictable as the true GameStop story was, it’s frustrating to see “Dumb Money” follow such a familiar structure. What it does do especially well is its exploration of the community aspect of the situation. For the GameStop stock to soar, it required people around the world to unite and not sell the constantly rising stock, which rose higher and faster than any pundit could anticipate. The scenes of those investors, for whom the money is beyond life-changing, struggling to either sell or keep holding (diamond hands!), is where the film is most exciting and most incisive. To sell would be life-changing, but holding is a push for larger societal and structural change, and an all too rare chance to stick it to the companies with all the control. There’s also a fascinating look at the general divide, where parents are baffled by their children’s new stock portfolios, perhaps understanding a universal truth better than their kids — what goes up must come down.
“Dumb Money” is a fun time at the movies, with strong performances and some great moments. But It also feels like it’s a bit too soon to make a movie about events that happened less than two years ago. It’s impossible to really grasp the impact the GameStop situation had on finance and the world as a whole because it’s simply too early. Right now the impact feels like ripples, but perhaps 10 or 20 years from now, it could be waves.
/Film Rating: 6 out of 10
