It’s funny that in 2021 during the worst of the pandemic when people were home playing video games more than ever, Gamestop became relevant for something else entirely. The video game retailer saw their stock short-squeezed by a bunch of ambitious Redditors, becoming everyday heroes who took on Wall Street and emerged victorious.
Craig Gillespie’s film Dumb Money stars Paul Dano as Keith Gill, who got the ball rolling by pouring his life savings into Gamestop stock. He was joined by other investors willing to gamble on the game retailer, throwing Wall Street for a loop.
Dano leads an incredible cast of Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Dane DeHaan, Sebastian Stan, Talia Ryder, Shailene Woodley, and Seth Rogen. The film is based on Ben Mezrich‘s 2021 book The Antisocial Network.
Here’s the synopsis: Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world’s hottest company. In the middle of everything is regular guy Keith Gill (Paul Dano), who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock and posting about it. When his social posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich – until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.
Dumb Money opens in theaters on September 22nd.