8.5/10
The tone of the movie was exactly what I expected going in, and it straddled the line of serious/comedic very well. With a directing history filled with comedies I was impressed by Adam McKay's ability to stay on the right side of the line. I even enjoyed the "dumbing it down" celebrity cameos which could have felt gimmicky and self-conscious in another movie but felt welcome in this one.
I haven't read the book (yet) but no doubt Michael Lewis provided ample material for McKay and the ensemble cast to work with. Everybody is pretty much great across the board, and the performances feel genuine despite the goofy hairpieces (in contrast to American Hustle, for example, which had goofy performances to match the wigs).
I was also glad they focused largely on the heart of the matter, the financial crisis and the "big short" plot itself. The Moneyball adaptation faltered shoehorning in Billy Beane's daughter. The Big Short veered a little in that direction (the brother's suicide) but mostly stayed on the right side of the line. Entertaining, informative and scary.
