Dumb Money director reveals “fundamental” difference with Wolf of Wall Street
Paramount/SonyThough Dumb Money has been compared to classic stock market movies such as The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street, director Craig Gillespie has highlighted a “fundamental” difference between them.
Dumb Money dropped in cinemas last week, telling the modern-day David and Goliath tale of the 2021 GameStop saga. At the center of the story is Keith Gill, whose social media posts accidentally spurred a grassroots movement in which retail investors took on the Wall Street titans.
The compelling story coupled with a star-studded cast – including the likes of Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, and Seth Rogen – has led to Dumb Money earning favorable reviews and an 85% score with critics and audiences alike on Rotten Tomatoes.
Amid the reaction to Dumb Money, viewers have made numerous comparisons to other movies that deal with the stock market, including The Wolf of Wall Street. But there’s one major difference between these two cinematic spectacles, as explained by Gillespie.
Dumb Money’s “fundamental” difference with The Wolf of Wall Street
Dexerto sat down with Dumb Money director Craig Gillespie, who spoke about the parallels and differences between his movie and films like The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short.
“It’s kind of an obvious comparison, you know, when you’re dealing with the stock market,” the filmmaker told us while highlighting that there’s “a humor and an energy and a pace” to Dumb Money that could be perceived as similar to the others.
“But really the fundamental difference is, both The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street, it’s kind of insider trading in the sense of it’s about these bankers in the world that they live in,” Gillespie explained.
“Dumb Money is very much from the outside looking in. This is about our Reddit users; about the everyday person who tried to get into the stock market and really wanted to make a statement with it and go after the one-percenters.”
While some believe The Wolf of Wall Street glamorized and celebrated the excess and hedonism of Jordan Belfort and his cronies – although this is still up for debate – the key message of Dumb Money is clear.
“It’s really about this disparity of wealth – particularly in America but it’s happening across the world – and wanting to be heard,” Gillespie added. “And when you have eight million people who come together as a united voice, it’s very different from these singular traders that you have in these other films.”
Dumb Money is in cinemas now, and you can check out more of our coverage below:
