Adaptations of Michael Lewis's books (The Blind Side; Moneyball) have proven to be box office gold in the past. But even fans of the brilliant writer might have been hard pressed to imagine a film version of The Big Short, his riveting but intricate account of the collateralized debt crisis and how a group of analysts predicted the financial meltdown it caused in 2008. That task fell to screenwriter Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, a director best known for broad comedies (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Eastbound and Down). With The Big Short he has made what must be considered a definitive contemporary tragicomedy about the men who bet against the economy and made small fortunes in the process. Part absurdist farce, part caper movie and perhaps ultimately a cautionary tale about the hubris of unbridled capitalism and the infinite greed of Wall Street, it joins films like Wall Street, Margin Call and Wolf of Wall Street in an emerging canon. The film features an all-star cast, which includes Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell and Brad Pitt who also produced. The HFPA’s Katherine Tulich and Mirai Konishi talked to them at the Hollywood premiere.

Luca Celada