If you liked “The Social Network” but would have liked it more if every character was an idiot, then “Dumb Money” is here to scratch that itch. Director Craig Gillespie and star Paul Dano showed up at CinemaCon to provide a look at the first few minutes of the film.
Based on the book “The Antisocial Network: The GameStop Short Squeeze and the Ragtag Group of Amateur Traders That Brought Wall Street to Its Knees” by Ben Mezrich, the movie is based on the GameStop stock manipulation that turned a bunch of Redditors into internet folk heroes (for five minutes).
The movie opens with Gabe Plotkin, the head of Melvin Capital (played by Seth Rogen) standing in an empty Miami mansion talking with New York Mets billionaire owner Steve Cohen (Vincent D’Onofrio), who is freaking out over news that GameStop stock is exploding through the roof. The film rapidly cuts to several random people getting excited over the stock surging as Cardi B’s “WAP” blares in the background.
But for Gabe, it’s DEFCON 1 as he and Steve are scrambling to figure out how GameStop’s surge could possibly be happening. They are shocked when they find their answer: a long-haired geek with a YouTube channel and multiple usernames (played by Paul Dano) that is leading an online movement to turn memes into financial power.
“Dumb Money” was directed by Craig Gillespie, who is clearly drawn to real-life madness, considering he helmed “I, Tonya,” episodes of “Pam & Tommy” and “Mike” (he also directed “The Finest Hours” and “Million Dollar Arm,” both for Disney and both based on true stories). The screenplay for “Dumb Money” was written by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo. And the cast, which is far from dumb, also includes Shailene Woodley, America Ferrera, Anthony Ramos, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dane DeHaan, Nick Offerman and Clancy Brown.
“Dumb Money” will be released on Oct. 20, 2023.
