PLOT - Based on Michael Lewis' non-fiction book, The Big Short, is the story of the group of men who predicted the financial collapse of 2008 and used their foresight for a big gain.

LIKE- Make no mistake, The Big Short is a horror film. It shows the financial mistakes that have been made, and are on course to be repeated. The outlook is bleak and this film is an eye-opener.

The Big Short is narrated by Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), who speaks directly to the audience and towards the beginning of the movie, he mentions that people always think that they understood the economic collapse and many can throw around a basic summary, but really, they don't understand it. I'll admit that I didn't (and probably still don't) have a great grasp on the subject. However, this film takes a dense topic and boils it down to the essentials. In a light-hearted aside, they use celebrity cameos to explain key terminology. For example, Margo Robbie explains mortgages, while taking a bubble bath and sipping champagne. Not only is it useful info, but it gives levity to a heavy film.

This story of outliers who seized an opportunity; using their knowledge and gut feeling to make investments that many considered to be an impossibly high risk, was fascinating. In addition to Gosling, the powerhouse cast also includes Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Marisa Tomei, Finn Wittrock ( Go LACHSA!!!) and Brad Pitt. This is also the first drama and non-Will Ferrell film from director/writer Adam McKay.

DISLIKE - Not a thing.

RECOMMEND - Yes! The Big Short is one of the best films that I've seen in 2015. Admittedly, it left me feeling unsettled, but just as sometimes I need to watch a RomCom, sometimes I need to have a film "unsettle" me. Most worrisome was a reveal that one of the men who predicted the collapse, is now focusing his investments on things involving water. Yikes! The Big Short doesn't necessarily need to be seen on the big screen, but it's definitely one to add to your watch list.