An instant awards season contender because of the subject matter and heavy hitting thespians involved, The Big Short is an obvious departure for helmer McKay - who's best known for his sardonic comedies with Will Ferrell.
McKay shows a strong hand intertwining multiple characters into an inherently complicated subject matter. Casting big names with relatively short screen-time makes the characters memorable while McKay has other random stars (playing themselves) turn up at different points explaining the dense fiscal repercussions of what exactly is going on. So, y'know, they get that most people are going to be scratching their heads in confusion. I was, anyway.
What does unfold, and it has to be said with a great deal of panache and colour, is one of the most infuriating series of events in modern history. You don't really need to grasp everything here to completely realise how fucked people were by the banks. What The Big Short does is underline that this could've been prevented, but no one listened to the smart people who saw it coming.
While not all of the characters interact and there's little in the way of character development, the performances still manage to gel. Carell has really gotten a second wind as a character actor outside of comedy while he and Bale probably have the most to work with in terms of backstory and it shows. Both do sterling work.
The performance of the film has to go to Ryan Gosling, though, who's a hilarious slimeball. He's one of the few main characters to break the Fourth Wall and talk to the audience - which he does so with effortless charm. He and Pitt probably have the least screen-time out of the A-listers, but he shines.
It's not an easy film to digest, but even if a small amount of it sinks in it will piss you off to an astronomical level.