The Winnie Gecko character was, frankly, annoying. Whinging, self righteous, and sulking. It was painful to watch. Was it about the global meltdown, the '08 crash, or was it about a grown woman with daddy issues. LaBeouf was equally annoying. There is not an ounce of acting or character formation.
Given that these are two pivotal characters, the question is not why is the film only a 6 star, but how did it scrape out the 6 stars. The answer is Michael Douglas, Josh Brolin, Eli Wallach, and Frank Langella. All their lines were crisp and they held an air of gravitas. Why was Brolin 5th/6th choice for role? He fit the role like a glove. The Douglas character was still fascinating. The way the character adapted, evolved and took the new world in his stride was great scriptwriting and acting.
I disagree with the Sarandon character. They could have cast better, but her character was necessary to show a microcosm of the madness of '08. The lesson re moral hazard and a junkie(debt) coming back for more was good. The contrast between the Government bailing out the banks, and Jake bailing out his mum was quite good. If people physically had to write out a check to their local bank it would feel more real than the same amount coming out of your taxes/more taxes.
Given that these are two pivotal characters, the question is not why is the film only a 6 star, but how did it scrape out the 6 stars. The answer is Michael Douglas, Josh Brolin, Eli Wallach, and Frank Langella. All their lines were crisp and they held an air of gravitas. Why was Brolin 5th/6th choice for role? He fit the role like a glove. The Douglas character was still fascinating. The way the character adapted, evolved and took the new world in his stride was great scriptwriting and acting.
I disagree with the Sarandon character. They could have cast better, but her character was necessary to show a microcosm of the madness of '08. The lesson re moral hazard and a junkie(debt) coming back for more was good. The contrast between the Government bailing out the banks, and Jake bailing out his mum was quite good. If people physically had to write out a check to their local bank it would feel more real than the same amount coming out of your taxes/more taxes.