Too Big To Fail 2011
I had heard good things about this movie that was made for HBO. For a made-for-TV movie it has an amazing cast of all stars, like everyone in Hollywood wanted to be part of a movie that stuck it to the bankers that crashed the US economy. It is fun watching who turns up, and you know somebody is important if they are someone you’ve heard of. That is key because there is a pretty large cast and having known actors helps keep them all straight. In fact, the whole movie is very well made, which couldn’t have been easy since it is based on a non-fiction book about the economic meltdown. Stopping with the passing of TARP, it probably begs for a sequel. There is a lot to explain and, while everyone has heard terms like “credit default swaps,” I doubt many people in the audience really know how it all works. So they had to explain this stuff without just giving you a bunch of exposition. As the characters explain what is going on to each other, the audience is also being filled in. It seems like they got most of the story right rather than take liberties, though I doubt they knew about all the conversations that took place. The movie is so accurate that it is surprising that it was even made, however it probably makes more sense on HBO than for the box office, since I don’t know if people would pay to watch what is basically a documentary with actors dramatizing every scene. But that is exactly what I wanted and I enjoyed watching it. If you followed everything closely while it was happening, you may not learn that much that is new, but it is great watching the decision makers behind the scenes and in secret meetings. And the portrayals are also great as the giant cast chews up their parts without going overboard.
Written: 15 Sep 2013