“Dumb Money” dropped on Netflix in January and it is the must-see film of the year so far.
You don’t have to care about the stock market, economy, internet culture or memes to find the story behind “Dumb Money” one of the most compelling in modern history. Set to the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film tells the true story of one man and his absurdly successful mission to break the billionaires who control the economy.
Paul Dano plays the protagonist, Keith Gill, who managed to rally countless small-money retail investors (ie: people like you, not people who run hedge funds) to boost the value of GameStop stock. The action is known as a “short squeeze” and caused at least one hedge fund — who was essentially trying to destroy GameStop through shorting their company’s stock — to lose billions upon billions of dollars.
Why did Gill and countless other Americans do this to the hedge fund? Because f*ck you for trying to destroy a cherished American pastime, that’s why (the film essentially says).
While many people will see Gill’s actions as a type of modern day Robinhood (and yes, the trading platform of the same name and its corruption is a huge part of “Dumb Money”), I see him as a nonviolent Guy Fawkes. Instead of trying to blow up the House of Parliament, Gill used modern tools and regular people to metaphorically try to blow up the financial sector.
You’ll have to watch the movie to find out what happens next and I really recommend you do. Even if you don’t care about the financial aspect, it’s worth it to see Nick Offerman’s hysterical portrayal of Citadel CEO Ken Griffin — a man who has more power over your life than you probably want to realize. (RELATED: Barstool Sports Founder Loses $700,000 After Selling GameStop Stock, Says Robinhood Founders ‘Should Be in Jail’)
Griffin seemed to go all-out to try and shut reporters up or at least control the narrative surrounding this film, but failed miserably by the looks of things. You can let us know how you think he came across!
You can watch “Dumb Money” on Netflix right now.