The Big Short by Adam McKay
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 7 of 24 films by recommenders
People recommend it for explaining the 2008 financial crisis and showing greedy, foolish bankers. One critic calls it a mediocre movie.
People recommend it for explaining the 2008 financial crisis and showing greedy, foolish bankers. One critic calls it a mediocre movie.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 11 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Clearly explains the 2008 financial crisis
“the film by Adam McKay who also gets it”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “I wasted years of my life in crypto” “The Big Short did a good job of this although not in a kid friendly way”
Comment from 3 Oct 2026 in “Frog and Toad and the Increasingly Capable Machines” “The Big Short portrays that quite well.”
Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “Threat of AI share crash puts world financial stability at risk, says IMF” Portrays greedy, foolish rich people
“A large point of the book is that a lot of rich people are both greedy and also stupid”
Comment from 23 Dec 2025 in “Claude Code gets native LSP support” “the film by Adam McKay who also gets it”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “I wasted years of my life in crypto” Good movie, and good book
“I'll still watch a good movie, for sure.”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “The Age of Reading Is Over” “such a good movie (and book)!”
Comment from 29 Jun 2026 in “AI boom risks global financial crash, warn central bankers”
Other films people recommend
The four most recommended other films, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan | 50 | 37 | 57% | 7 | — | — |
| Perfect Days (2023 film) | 19 | 1 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
| The Secret Agent (2025 film) | 18 | 9 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| One Battle After Another | 17 | 14 | 55% | 5 | — | — |
| The Big Short by Adam McKayThis page | 11 | 1 | 92% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
9 of the 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Steve Carell's depiction of Eisman in The Big Short was on point”
“The Big Short portrays that quite well.”
“The Big Short did a good job of this although not in a kid friendly way”
“Do you base your knowledge on anything other than a very mediocre movie?”
“I'll still watch a good movie, for sure.”
“such a good movie (and book)!”
“A large point of the book is that a lot of rich people are both greedy and also stupid”
“You need to understand what caused the 2008 financial crisis and how it resulted in us collectively funnelling more value into the hands of useless bankers.”
“the film by Adam McKay who also gets it”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.