Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, Pete Davidson, Shailene Woodley, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan and America Ferrera.
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Runtime: 104 mins. Reviewed in Sep 2023
Reviewer: Peter W Sheehan

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Rating notes: Strong coarse language

This true-to-life biographical drama focuses on the stock of the company, GameStop, and the unexpected effects on Wall Street.

This American film is written by Lauren Blum, Rebecca Angelo, and Ben Mezrich, and is based on the 2021 book, The Antisocial Network, by Ben Mezrich, which deals with the financial squeeze by GameStop on the stock markets of Wall Street. Directed by Australian Craig Gillespie, the film tells the story of a group of ordinary investors, who pressured the CEOs of hedge funds and financial analysts when shares in GameStop suddenly sky-rocketed.

GameStop was a mall video game store business, and what happened on Wall Street made it a much sought-after company in which to invest. The film follows what happened to Keith Gill (Dano), a potential investor, a small number of his followers, and an army of hedge fund managers and financial analysts.

As an everyday investor, Gill invested his entire life savings in GameStop and then went on social media to share his knowledge. His tips for investing went viral, and thousands of people acted on them. There was a sudden rush and the financial sector was turned upside down as a result. Stock in GameStop rose dramatically; thousands of people got rich quickly by accumulating a vast fortune; and fortunes were both won and lost. When Gill urged investors to invest in GameStop, he became the central figure in a stock market frenzy, and his social media campaign surged the value of GameStop stock. An inevitable downturn followed; losses of billions of US dollars occurred when that happened; and a sudden unexpected rise re-occurred after improper behaviour from financial mis-practice was revealed through congressional investigation.

Seth Rogen, an established comedian, brings a comic touch to business practices, and he deftly turns the financial journey of his character, Gabe Plotline, into a humorous one. Dano, Rogen, Offerman and Woodley impressively play persons affected by the GameStock events, but the scandal affected billionaires, ordinary and extraordinary investors, financial analysts, and hedge fund managers alike in unforeseen, unpredictable ways.

This is a film with contemporary relevance that is ideally suited to those who understand the language, culture, and routine practices of the financial, business sector. But the film is also an absorbing, entertaining account of factual market happenings that is significant for unwary investors. The movie’s past-paced narrative, in particular, insightfully celebrates ‘the power of the people’ against almost insurmountable odds.