‘Dumb Money’: Should we watch a Roaring Kitty movie as GameStop fever returns?

Close followers of GameStop bull traders roaring kitty (aka Keith Gill) and the 2021 Meme Stock/Short Squeeze Saga You probably already know the ending of last year’s “Dumb Money” from the beginning. He gives his final approval on his popular YouTube live stream and takes a break from his online postings. It’s been an extremely crazy few months in the spotlight.

But the ending didn’t stick. After three years of inactivity, Roaring Kitty returned last month and began posting memes on Twitter and Reddit posts about his GameStop (GME) stock positions. on friday he reappeared on youtube For the first time since his approval in 2021, we have confirmation that he is still alive and not actually the actor who played him in the movie.

“I’m definitely not Paul Dano,” he said Friday. “I haven’t seen the movie yet. “I’ve seen a few clips.”

Growling Kitty’s story isn’t over yet. The price of GME fell Friday after his return flow, but traders still have huge positions between stocks and options. And his return to YouTube helped alleviate concerns that someone had hacked or hijacked his account, or that his tweets and posts were a big dud.

But like Roaring Kitty, if you haven’t yet seen the star-studded biopic based on his 2020-2021 rise and the broader GameStop meme stock phenomenon, should you watch “Dumb Money” now that you’re watching the sequel unfold? real time?

clearly. I watched the film for the first time this week on Netflix a few hours before Roaring Kitty returned to YouTube, and it still paints a compelling and entertaining picture of his character and trading mindset. The real story continues.

base “Antisocial Network” by Ben Mezrich, 2021The author of “Dumb Money,” whose previous book inspired the movie “The Social Network,” tells the story of Roaring Kitty and his big bet on GameStop, as well as the Wall Street companies caught up in the short squeeze and the retail traders who rallied around several meme stocks. .

It paints a versatile and compassionate picture of Gill as a financial analyst who developed the odd thesis that oppressed video game retailers were being underestimated. He delivers this to the public through live streams filled with catchphrases and cat images. Soon, Gil’s unexpected revolution threatens the giants of Wall Street.

Dano is a renowned actor and captures many of Gill’s nuances seen in the hours-long live stream. But no “Fablemans” actor can match the manic energy of the real deal. Given Gill’s wild performance on Friday, I can’t blame Dano for falling a little short of replicating that compelling livestream appeal.

He’s complemented by a large ensemble cast that includes Seth Rogen, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Shailene Woodley, and Pete Davidson.

Rogen and Offerman play prominent hedge fund managers Gabe Plotkin and Ken Griffin, respectively. Although it’s not the comedic roles we’re commonly familiar with, the film sharply portrays them as an underprivileged elite through extravagant spending and callous disregard. Retail Merchant. (A real griffin I wasn’t very happy.)

“Dumb Money” maintains a brisk pace even as director Craig Gillespie tries to cram too much into roughly 100 minutes. There are a lot of threads involved here, and the retail investor narrative sometimes feels overdone, not to mention overly dramatic. By the time the meme stock trend explodes, “Dumb Money” has to rush to fit the rest of the headline-grabbing events without overstaying its welcome.

Nonetheless, “Dumb Money” is a nuanced and accessible retelling of a confusing story. It’s a cohesive summary that balances Roaring Kitty’s big personality with her more human side while also keeping it light and fun enough for viewers who aren’t financial experts.

Edited by Ryan Ozawa.