---
title: "Dumb Money"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/dumb-money"
fi1m_id: "dumb-money"
imdb_id: "tt13957560"
tmdb_id: 792293
wikidata_id: "Q114740513"
fi1m_score: 64
critics_score: 68
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-09-10"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:05.261596+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Dumb Money (2023)

Directed by Craig Gillespie · 1h 45m · MPA R · History, Comedy, Drama

## Identity

Dumb Money

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/dumb-money
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** dumb-money
- **IMDb ID:** tt13957560
- **TMDB ID:** 792293
- **Wikidata ID:** Q114740513
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13957560/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/792293, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114740513

**Fi1m score: 64** · Critics 68 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* A man in a cat T-shirt holds a chicken tender up to a webcam and hedge funds tremble

> Craig Gillespie’s account of the GameStop squeeze is quick, well cast and easy company, with Paul Dano doing more with a headband and a webcam than the script gives him. It explains the numbers and has nothing to say about them.

## Synopsis

Keith Gill (Paul Dano) is a financial analyst who spends his evenings in the basement, streaming to a small audience under the name Roaring Kitty. His one big idea is GameStop, a struggling video-game retailer whose shares he has bought with his savings, to the bafflement of his wife Caroline (Shailene Woodley) and his brother Kevin (Pete Davidson), who delivers food. In January 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, ordinary people start following him: a nurse (America Ferrera), a GameStop shop worker (Anthony Ramos), two students (Myha’la, Talia Ryder). The price begins to climb, and the hedge funds that have bet against the company, among them Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen), start to notice.

## Review

In January 2021 a video-game shop nobody had thought about in years became, for a few weeks, the most talked-about stock in America, because a man in a basement in a red headband said so on the internet and a great many people believed him. Craig Gillespie’s film tells that story quickly and cheerfully and from a dozen angles, in the manner of *The Big Short* (2015), with title cards for the jargon and cutaways to whoever is about to lose the most. It is easy to watch and easy to like. It is also thin, and it gets thinner the longer you think about it.

Paul Dano plays Keith Gill, a financial analyst by day and by night Roaring Kitty, who streams his GameStop thesis to a handful of viewers with a beer in one hand and a chicken tender in the other. Dano does the thing he does best, which is to make an awkward man seem entirely sure of one thing, and he does it without asking us to find Gill adorable. Watch him take a breath before he presses go live, or absorb his brother’s mockery without looking up from the spreadsheet. The film never quite explains why Gill believes in this company. Dano makes the believing look like work, and that carries the first hour.

Around him Gillespie arranges the people who followed. America Ferrera’s Jenny is a nurse with two children who buys shares on her phone between shifts. Anthony Ramos’s Marcos works the till at a GameStop and is patronised by his manager. Myha’la and Talia Ryder play students who cannot agree on how much to believe. These strands are where the film is warm, and Ferrera has its best moment, standing in a hospital corridor in a mask, refreshing a number on her screen, saying nothing. It moved us more than we expected, because for once the film let a face do the work instead of a caption.

Nicolas Karakatsanis shoots rich and poor in the same flat winter light, so the difference is all in the square footage: Gill’s basement with its posters and cables against Gabe Plotkin’s kitchen, which is being extended while he is on the phone losing money. Scott Kuzio’s sets make the film’s point better than its dialogue does. Everyone is at home, everyone is in front of a screen, and what changes from room to room is what the screen cost. Kirk Baxter, who cut [*The Social Network*](https://film.one/film/the-social-network) (2010), keeps it all moving at a pace that suits a story told in hourly price updates. The trouble is what he is asked to cut to. Gillespie keeps splicing in the Reddit posts and memes that fed the squeeze, and on a cinema screen they land like someone reading their phone aloud. Will Bates’s score is mostly buried under pop songs chosen for swagger, and the songs are there to tell us this is exciting.

The other side of the trade is played as cartoon. Seth Rogen gives Plotkin a hangdog decency the film does not know what to do with. Nick Offerman’s Ken Griffin and Sebastian Stan’s Vlad Tenev, the man behind the Robinhood app, are men in good shirts saying calm things on calls, and we are invited to boo. Pete Davidson, as Gill’s brother Kevin, is given one running joke about delivering food and eating it, and it runs out after two appearances. Shailene Woodley, as Caroline Gill, has the job of worrying at the kitchen table, and does it.

Gillespie’s *I, Tonya* (2017) had a proper argument with its audience about who gets laughed at. This film has no argument with anyone. The script, by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, wants the small investors to win and the hedge funds to lose, tells us, correctly, that the market was rigged, and never asks whether a crowd wagering its savings on a dying shop has won anything. Most critics have been kinder than we are, and we understand why: the cast is good company and the running time is short. But by the last half hour we were bored of watching people look at phones, and then a little cross that a story about money had so little to say about it.

See it with someone who followed the story as it happened; you will have more to say afterwards than the film does. It runs 105 minutes and carries a 15 certificate.

*Fi1m score 64, published 10 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Dumb Money, and the praise clusters in the same two places: Paul Dano, whose warmth as the retail trader at the centre is singled out again and again, and the ensemble around him, which reviewers find lively and well marshalled by Craig Gillespie. Its pace comes up nearly as often; brisk, snappy and propulsive recur, and several call it an unexpectedly sharp record of the pandemic years.

The reservations are also consistent. Many note that it follows The Big Short closely without matching that film’s bite, and a good number feel it stops short of saying anything about the market it claims to attack, oversells the uprising it depicts, or keeps its characters thin. The spread is wide rather than narrow. The Telegraph finds it patronising and toothless, Sight and Sound finds it short on insight, and Slant reads its message as a commercial package rather than a protest.

## Straight answers

**Is Dumb Money worth watching?**

*Dumb Money* is worth an evening if you followed the GameStop story or enjoy quick, well-cast comedies about money, and we scored it 64. Paul Dano and America Ferrera give it more feeling than the script does, but it explains the numbers without having anything to say about them, and the last half hour is mostly people looking at phones.

**How long is Dumb Money, and what is it rated?**

*Dumb Money* runs 1h 45m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a history and comedy film.

**Where can I watch Dumb Money in the US?**

*Dumb Money* is streaming on HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel and Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Dumb Money, and is it suitable for children?**

*Dumb Money* carries a 15 certificate in the UK and is not violent or frightening; the certificate reflects strong language rather than anything that would upset the squeamish. It is a comedy-drama about people staring at share prices on screens, so children are more likely to be bored than disturbed, and it suits older teenagers who can follow the financial jargon.

**How does Dumb Money compare to The Big Short?**

*Dumb Money* borrows the manner of [*The Big Short*](https://film.one/film/the-big-short), with title cards for the jargon and cutaways to the losers, but the earlier film is the angrier and the better of the two. Adam McKay explains the swindle and stays cross about it, while Craig Gillespie tells his story cheerfully and never asks what the crowd actually won. Choose *Dumb Money* for its cast and short running time, *The Big Short* for an argument.

**What should I watch after Dumb Money?**

After *Dumb Money*, try [*The Big Short*](https://film.one/film/the-big-short) (2015, Fi1m 80): Adam McKay’s version of the same trick, angrier and better at explaining the swindle. Then [*Margin Call*](https://film.one/film/margin-call) (2011, Fi1m 82): One night inside a bank as the floor gives way; quiet, grown-up, frightening; and [*Trading Places*](https://film.one/film/trading-places) (1983, Fi1m 80): Commodities fraud as farce, with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd swapping lives.

### Reviews we read (31)

- **Radio Times**, James Mottram (4/5): The critic describes it as an absorbing true-life tale of finance chicanery with an exhilarating ensemble. It praises the cast, direction, and exploration of community and solidarity. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-wewtjd/dumb-money/)
- **Time Out**, Helen O’Hara (4/5): The critic praises this as a complicated, sometimes funny and horror-tinged underdog story ripped from the headlines. It highlights the ensemble cast and Gillespie’s handling of the real events. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/dumb-money-2023)
- **The AV Club**, Manuel Betancourt (B): It is a smart, playful and briskly told David vs. Goliath tale that keeps viewers invested in its characters and the larger story, though it is efficient to a fault in its use of narrative stitches. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/dumb-money-movie-review-1850831858)
- **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (2/3/3): The critic calls it a mildly entertaining film that explains financial concepts decently but is light on laughs and feels derivative of The Big Short. Dano is charming but the story lacks epic humor and cinematic impact. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/dumb-money-review-mildly-entertaining-economics-101)
- **Slant Magazine**, Mark Hanson (2/4): The blithely conventional treatment only pretends to rail against unchecked capitalism and packages its power-to-the-people message for commercial gains, resulting in a dispiritingly outmoded affair. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/dumb-money-review-paul-dano-pete-davidson-craig-gillespie/)
- **The Telegraph** (2/5): The film is a satirically toothless comedy that wastes its starry cast and aims for The Big Short but lands on patronising. It peddles a phoney idea about collective strivers and ends up more depressing than it knows. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/dumb-money-review-gamestop-paul-dano/)
- **Empire**, John Nugent: The critic finds the film a fluent and funny ensemble takedown of Wall Street excess in the mould of The Big Short, praising its breezy direction and strong cast while noting the message is familiar. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dumb-money/)
- **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★★☆☆): The raucous financial comedy is a likeably propulsive mess with many smart and funny moments, though it hedges its bets on deeper insight. It sets GameStop along the timeline of The Big Short but remains an us-and-them tale that demands viewers pick sides. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/c78c71d5-2212-463e-8ea1-33a9ac518b93)
- **IndieWire**, Natalia Winkelman: It is a rousing, lively comedy that plays like The Big Short for underdogs and offers a weirdly moving tale of working-class solidarity with a shining ensemble led by Paul Dano. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/dumb-money-review-1234904085/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Robert Abele: The critic calls the film an enjoyable comedy that turns the GameStop saga into a satisfying populist class-war showdown with Altmanesque multi-character vibrancy and laughs. It singles out Paul Dano’s nerdy warmth as a centering tonic for the tale while noting Gillespie’s skill at capturing pandemic-era desperation, excitement, and small moments of solidarity. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-09-15/dumb-money-review-gamestop-paul-dano-america-ferrera-seth-rogen)
- **Screen Daily**: The critic calls it a snappy, entertaining underdog saga that taps into resentment about rigged markets. It notes the slick tone and Dano’s performance but mentions inevitable comparisons to The Social Network. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/dumb-money-toronto-review/5185756.article)
- **Sight and Sound**: The critic finds Craig Gillespie’s account of the GameStop events uninspired and fatally lacking in insight and imagination. It criticizes the film’s bland, simplistic recounting and failure to find compelling thematic grounding. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dumb-money-this-david-goliath-comedy-feels-entirely-unnecessary)
- **The Guardian**: The film is a spirited underdog drama with a lively bustle that successfully corrals disparate characters and story strands. Paul Dano excels as the central YouTuber, though the story offers little in the way of real and lasting change beyond a gloss of rabble-rousing. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/sep/24/dumb-money-review-craig-gillespie-paul-dano-keith-gill-roaring-kitty-gamestop-wall-street-youtube)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck: The film is entertaining enough thanks to its Capra-style battle between little people and bigwigs and a terrific ensemble, but it is not quite as successful as similar films due to mostly one-dimensional characters. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dumb-money-review-paul-dano-pete-davidson-craig-gillespie-1235585844/)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland: The critic notes the film's frenetic, unsubtle style and broad-brush approach with some missteps in editing and music, but praises its genuine humour, exuberance and righteous eat-the-rich messaging. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/dumb-money-review-gamestop-comedy-assault-senses-2630177)
- **The New York Times**, Ben Kenigsberg: The review describes the film as an energetic and clear dramatization of the GameStop stock craze that makes the dual jargons of Wall Street and online traders accessible while treating the underdog story with irreverence. It notes some strain from the material's fundamental earnestness compared to the director's prior work like I, Tonya, while highlighting Paul Dano's non-condescending performance. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/14/movies/dumb-money-review.html)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): This black comedy helter-skelter race through the real-life GameStop short squeeze brings the grimness of the pandemic era back to painful life. The vivid script from the writers of Orange Is the New Black makes the dry material visceral and engaging. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/dumb-money-review-the-gamers-take-on-wall-street-6b3xksgvn)
- **Total Film**, James Mottram: The review calls it an energetic David-and-Goliath comedy-drama with an excellent Dano and strong ensemble, singling out America Ferrera's performance as the emotional core despite minor flaws like Pete Davidson's role. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/dumb-money-review/)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman: The review praises the film as a smart, light-fingered and brashly entertaining finance saga that deftly balances detail, dramatic irony and ensemble portraits of the GameStop phenomenon without over-romanticizing its hero. It singles out Paul Dano’s quirky, saintly performance as Keith Gill while faulting the ending for becoming too crowd-pleasing in its endorsement of stock-market gambling. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/dumb-money-review-paul-dano-pete-davidson-toronto-film-festival-1235717762/)
- **Vulture**: It is an effective and brisk entertainment that steers clear of smugness while juggling many characters, and though it oversells the revolutionary impact it does not leave you sorry you watched it. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/dumb-money-review-the-gamestop-movie-good.html)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a wildly entertaining, Capra-esque populist crowd-pleaser about the little guy triumphing over Wall Street. Dano and Rogen are singled out for ideal casting in their lead roles. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/09/dumb-money-review-paul-dano-seth-rogen-gamestop-stock-phenomenon-toronto-film-festival-1235541444/)
- **The Playlist**, Gregory Ellwood (B+): Praises Gillespie's direction, fresh take on inequality themes, visual style, and emotional depth from pandemic context, leaving viewers to decide on empowerment. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/dumb-money-review-craig-gillespies-smart-dissection-of-the-gamespot-stock-drama-tiff-20230910/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights the film's smart pacing, punk energy, humor, and care for characters, calling it an entertaining gallop through financial history. [Read](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/dumb-money-2023-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **The Wrap**, Martin Aubert Tsai (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a definitive portrait of the COVID era that captures chaotic online culture and wealth disparity without over-explaining jargon. Dano's standout performance, especially in streaming and testimony scenes, is highlighted. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/dumb-money-review-paul-dano-craig-gillespie/)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (B): The critic praises the film for capturing the community spirit of the GameStop saga and its COVID-era backdrop, comparing its style favorably to The Big Short while noting its focus on multiple perspectives. [Read](https://collider.com/dumb-money-review/)
- **Consequence** (70/100, inferred): The review calls it a droll and empathetic primer on the short squeeze that highlights the divide between haves and have-nots, though it notes the film feels somewhat surface-level and leaves out key details. [Read](https://consequence.net/2023/09/14/dumb-money-review/)
- **Film Stories**, Ryan Lambie (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's spark and character ensemble but notes its ultimately gloomy view of capitalism and inequality. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/dumb-money-review/)
- **/Film**, Barry Levitt (6/10): Commends comedic elements and performances but criticizes lack of depth in stock mechanics and character development, feeling it's too soon for a full film. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1389771/dumb-money-review-tiff-2023/)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (60/100, inferred): The critic views the film as good fun and a poignant pandemic portrait but finds it lands in a safe middle ground, lacking true revolutionary edge or deeper irony about the events. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2023/09/19/movies/dumb-money-review-gamestop-short-squeeze)
- **Polygon**, Rafael Motamayor (40/100, inferred): The critic argues the film is neither smart enough nor dumb enough, failing to capture the meme culture or fully explain the events while overemphasizing dramatic family beats at the expense of the story's internet roots. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23868918/dumb-money-review-gamestop-stonks-saga/)
- **Paste**, Tara Bennett (8.4): The critic finds the film an accessible and rousing take on the events that humanizes the story through everyday characters and effectively critiques capitalism without overcomplicating the financial details. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/paul-dano/dumb-money-review)

## Details

- **Director:** Craig Gillespie
- **Director:** Craig Gillespie
- **Writer:** Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo
- **Cinematography:** Nicolas Karakatsanis
- **Editor:** Kirk Baxter
- **Music:** Will Bates
- **Production design:** Scott Kuzio
- **Costume design:** Kameron Lennox
- **Producer:** Teddy Schwarzman, Craig Gillespie, Aaron Ryder
- **Cast:** Paul Dano as Keith Gill; Shailene Woodley as Caroline Gill; America Ferrera as Jenny Campbell; Pete Davidson as Kevin Gill; Seth Rogen as Gabe Plotkin; Myha'la Herrold as Riri; Talia Ryder as Harmony Williams; Anthony Ramos as Marcos Garcia
- **Runtime:** 1h 45m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 22 September 2023
- **Genres:** History, Comedy, Drama
- **Budget:** $30 million
- **Box office:** $21 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VxRoOZNaR8

## Where to watch in the US

- HBO Max: streaming
- Hulu: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Disney+: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, ID, IE, IN, IT, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NZ, PH, PL, PT, RS, SE, SG, TH, US, VN. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Big Short* (2015), Fi1m 80: Adam McKay’s version of the same trick, angrier and better at explaining the swindle — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-big-short.md)
- *Margin Call* (2011), Fi1m 82: One night inside a bank as the floor gives way; quiet, grown-up, frightening — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/margin-call.md)
- *Trading Places* (1983), Fi1m 80: Commodities fraud as farce, with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd swapping lives — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/trading-places.md)
- *Rogue Trader* (1999): Ewan McGregor as Nick Leeson, losing a bank one bad bet at a time
- *The Social Network* (2010), Fi1m 91: Baxter’s editing again, and a far sharper film about men typing in the dark — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-social-network.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/dumb-money