The fascinating true story behind the movie Dumb Money will make you rethink your finances.

If you can't get the viral tune "I'm looking for a man in finance, with a trust fund, 6' 5", blue eyes," out of your head this week, you might be somewhat interested in economics. 

That, or you just are partial to a catchy TikTok video doing the rounds on the internet.

Either way, finances are on our minds at the moment as the world finds itself in the midst of an economic crisis. So even if you don't closely follow ~merges and acquisitions~ chances are over the past year or two you've been a bit more closely tuned in to things like interest rate hikes, inflation, and budgeting.

One of the most interesting stories to come out of the finance world in recent years has been the disruption made by a group of amateur investors who went toe-to-toe with stock exchange bigwigs to make some serious money.

This David vs Goliath story went beyond the confines of the finance world and became front-page news — perhaps people were ready to get behind a movement where the little guy took a slice of the pie from the one percenters? Well, this epic tale has now been made into a movie called Dumb Money and it low-key looks like it'll be an intriguing deep dive into the finance sector.

What is Dumb Money about?

Hark back to 2021 and we were all still in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic with no end in sight. With many parts of the world in lockdown, we were all a little more online than usual so people had time to cook up masterful plans to disrupt the status quo. I mean, I mostly baked banana bread and watched Vanderpump Rules but I guess we all had our own way of getting through the days at home.

The movie Dumb Money sets out to tell the story of amateur investor Keith Gill (Paul Dano) who disrupted the stock market with a group of his rag-tag investor buddies by helping the GameStop (a US video game store) stock go gangbusters. 

Without getting too technical (I wouldn't dare try and unpack the complexities of micro and macro economics in relation to the stock exchange) Gill aka Roaring Kitty is able to bring GameStop stocks buzzing through the stratosphere which in turn upsets some of the well-heeled corporates who act as Goliaths in this space. 

As the GameStop stocks rise investor big wigs like Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen), founder of the hedge fund Melvin Capital, makes a short bet against GameStop which doesn't exactly work out so great for him and he loses a considerable amount of money. It all becomes quite volatile and the stakes are high — what could possibly go wrong?

We all know from movies like Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short, you don't have to be an investor to get excited about movies about money. Dumb Money is a film that comes down to great characters, cowboy storytelling and an even wilder premise.

Who is in the Dumb Money cast?

In good news for us viewers, the Dumb Money cast is a veritable who's who of quality Hollywood actors who have gathered together to make an ensemble cast for the ages. 

The class act that is Paul Dano has stepped into the lead role here playing Keith Gill and alongside him is comedic actor Pete Davidson who plays Keith's brother Kevin. Shailene Woodley stepped into the role of Keith's wife, Caroline Gill. 

Also in the pack of small-time investors is America Ferrera playing Jenny Campbell.

Nick Offerman and Seth Rogen in Dumb Money. Image: Sony Pictures.

Over on the big wig side you've got perennial stoner Seth Rogen playing hedge fund investor Gabe Plotkin, Nick Offerman playing another billionaire named Kenneth Griffin and Vincent D'Onofrio taking on the role of Steve Cohen.

Is Dumb Money based on a true story?

So, as you've probably gathered — yes Dumb Money is based on a true story. It will be interesting to see how closely the motion picture interpretation of the movement will stick to what happened in real life but we're keen to go along for the ride.

IRL, we know that the GameStop stock had a meteoric rise on the stock exchange which saw Keith Gill's original investment of $US50,000 investment turn into $US47 million by the end of January, 2021. And in a way, the GameStop movement had a huge effect hedge funds, the stock exchange and getting people interested in the flow of economics — so, it's safe to say this is an important story to tell and bring to more viewers.

The world of money, investment, and stock exchange isn't perfect (Gill himself has been accused of some unsavoury moves in the finance world but I'll leave that for my finance podcast that I will never make) but boy do these blips make for great Hollywood storytelling.

When can I watch Dumb Money?

You can now stream Dumb Money on Prime Video now.

Feature Image: Sony Pictures.