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FEATURE MOVIE

to be heard, a mouthpiece, and that mouthpiece came in the unlikely form of Roaring Kitty, a recreational YouTuber and Reddit user. He wasn’t championing a revolution, and there was nothing angry or threatening in his demeanor. This earnestness in his beliefs, first and foremost, that GameStop was undervalued,” explains Gillespie. “Living through this with my son, I got to experience improbable hero had a sincerity, humbleness, and

DYK?

One real-life hedge fund manager featured in the film was so angry about Dumb Money being made that he sent threats to actor Nick Offerman, whose response was, “Guess that’s one person I won't be getting a Christmas card from, then.”

DUMB MONEY

this story on an emotional level. Posts and memes from the movement kept me constantly updated. I watched as [subreddit] WallStreetBets ballooned with followers, to a staggering eight million people. People’s frustrations and glee, the intensity of the actual trading, then the shock and outrage when the Robinhood app was shut down and the catastrophe and dismay that followed. It was a riveting, emotionally exhausting, at times euphoric roller coaster ride,” he recalls. By sheer coincidence, a couple of months later Gillespie received a script about the

After directing popular movies I, Tonya and Cruella , Aussie director Craig Gillespie was ready to tackle the financial market with his latest film, Dumb Money . Words Gill Pringle T he ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, Dumb Money is based on

a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich – until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down. “I can genuinely say this is not a topic that would have been on my radar, if not for the fact that my son, who was 24 at the time, was living with us,” recalls the director, whose breakout moment came 16 years ago when he persuaded Ryan

Seth Rogen

the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall

GameStop story. He was immediately in. Under his deft direction, this witty tale is reenacted by a brilliant ensemble cast starring Paul Dano as Gill alongside America Ferrera, Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, and Shailene Woodley. Filmed during an intense 31-day shoot, Gillespie believes his film was enriched by the fact that he witnessed the original events with his son at his

Street and got rich by turning a small video game store into the world’s hottest company. In the middle of everything is regular guy Keith Gill, who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the

Director Craig Gillespie

humble company’s stock and posting about it. When his posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As

Gosling to fall for an inflatable doll in the romcom Lars and the Real Girl . “[It was] a situation not uncommon at the height of the pandemic: a time of fear, isolation, and extreme uncertainty,” he continues. “A time when outrage was escalating about a system that marginalised the poor and working class in favour of the rich. It was a perfect storm, and it made the GameStop phenomenon possible. “GameStop wasn’t just about playing the stock market. It was a moment in time when COVID, our isolation and the social unrest in this country was acute. People needed an outlet, a way

side. “Living through the thrill, excitement, frustration, and fear of the GameStop story through my son's experience allowed me to approach this on an emotional level, a human level,” he says. “This story gives a voice to the little guy, and takes us on a wild, subversive ride that hopefully shines a light on the disparity of wealth in [the US], and helps continue the conversation that the system needs to change.”

• Dumb Money is out on Jan 10

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