Dumb Money

There is a strange aspect to this movie, a measure of confusion that pervades the story. Based on the movie’s marketing and general vibe, you go in and watch with the impression that this story of lower class Davids sticking it to investor class Goliaths is on the side of the poor people. Yet many of the film’s trappings seem to indicate that the term “dumb money”—the rich assholes’ sneering characterization of two-bit retail investors—may not be so far off the mark. For one, the presentation is awash in rap “music”—and not exactly clever rap, either, but more like some of the ugliest sounding, meanest sounding, and, yes, stupidest sounding noise the producers could have found. The aural choices seem to imply that the cohort of paycheck-class types are exactly as churlish and ignorant as the title insult insists they are. Those same characters themselves, throughout the story, persistently make the case against the “short squeeze” they are engaging in, and the outcome many of them foresee does, in fact, eventually come to pass, in real life if not in reel life. (GameStop stock, when I watched this flick, was trading at around $20 a share—hardly the several hundred dollars per the price achieved in the midst of the mania.) Finally, the end notes before the credits relate that the hedge fund types, in the wake of all this, are now more careful about shorting stocks—all well and good, I suppose, but hardly the revolutionary outcome the squeeze participants were hoping to achieve, by their own presented testimony. So is this movie actually making an admiring case for the poor people? Or is this an exercise in declaring that those on the bottom really can’t win? Given the big picture, my guess is this film is firmly on the side of the little people, but presents that viewpoint somewhat incompetently. Thus, an interesting story and some good performances, in a story that holds interest for anyone with a thirst for economic fairness, get wasted by filmmakers who simply don’t quite make the case in favor of their heroes. A “should have been” movie that just isn’t quite. (Note: the library DVD I used to watch this movie had some playback issues, especially late in the running time. I undoubtedly missed a few crucial scenes, which might have changed my opinion on the piece overall. Watching comes with risk.)

In the Heights

True fact: most "heights" back east aren't really all that high--ones in New York City included. There's already an interesting dynamic swirling around this film, which I should probably avoid in this review--not because it's third-rail stuff (it's mostly just stupidity), but because I prefer to judge films simply on their own merit (as best that can be achieved) within their own context (ditto). Here goes: we have real strengths in this flick, mostly in the talented, charismatic presences of the principle leads: Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins (who may be the most talented actor on the scene today) and Leslie Grace more than acquit themselves well, giving inspired performances both musical and dramatic. That's the good. The "not exactly bad but troubling enough to keep popping into mind during the running time" part lies in a certain incongruity between the message of most of the movie and its ultimate conclusion, especially in terms of the former being expressed throughout in the sentiments of the characters. That's a bit complicated, I know, but watch it and you'll get what I mean (trying to avoid spoilers). Also, there's definitely a vibe here--mentioned before in this space in other contexts--of people who think problems can be solved simply by dancing. They can't. So in a superficial sense, there's a rollicking good time here, along with a few moments of major pathos, that many will enjoy without a critical thought. But you have to wonder, ultimately, if these people really have their minds made up about their situation, or if it's just an infinite loop that holds them (literally) in place. Thus, "heights" perhaps, but hardly Olympian in stature.