Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Beautiful, moving film.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

A complimentary film to the big boys of high finance drama (Glengarry Glen Ross, Wall Street). If all movies are a homage/statement/spin-off of past movies, there should be a reason to make it beyond the desire to recreate/translate/financially benefit from those other films. The Big Short captures not only the testosterone and deceit of Wall Street but tells a story of how the Mortgage failures affected America and beyond. It's actually educational as well as being presented uniquely and interestingly. Boiler Room attempts to share the rip offs of the trade but fell way short of accomplishing on any of those levels.Boiler Room has its moments and small points mostly noted by Giovanni Ribisi as new broker dumbstruck by guys who wanted and made money but had no idea what they wanted to do with it. One "millionaire" executives' home is void of furniture and another lives with his grandmother. The hip hop soundtrack is a perfect match for the concept of work put in/money made but whose results are devoid of gratitude/long standing worth/meaning. One characters' persona is acting and talking in gangsta/homeboy shtick which he gets away with due to his place in the firm. But why would a successful businessman ever aspire to achieve that? This is the movies' strong message.The Ben Aflac character is a poor rip off of Alec Baldwin and Nicky Katt is a one dimensional piece of wood, although quite believable if you've been around high financier wanna-bes. but did not resonate with this viewer as having a purpose in the film other than to be the bad guy. Throw in his treatment if the secretary to ensure we have no pity for him. Much like Wall Street, the female angle is inserted to allow our broker to express remorse to a women who had previously been played by the boss but got paid for it. Why isHollywood so fixated on prostitution?The family element of the Federal Judge was not as bad as others stated and offers up our brokers reasons for attempting to go legit. Every son wants to impress his Dad at some point, right? We even had the Mother as enabler of the Fathers' tough treatment if his son. Once past the film set up, it does begin to breathe and is more enjoyable and the back and forth between the Jewish and Italian pit bosses worked well. The mystery of what was going on is not clarified to the point that it needed to be and the a Wall Street ending of some redemption has its dramatic purpose but overall this film doesn't come across as original, much like The Wolf Of Wall Street which came out decades later about the same story. Yes, a sale is always made, just like an opinion about a movie. If you don't understand the game being played then you, as a viewer, feel like it's you who was the latest mark.

Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) drops out of college and runs an illegal gambling den for college students at home. His judge father (Ron Rifkin) is extremely disappointed and he can't get his approval. A friend Greg Weinstein brings him to an outsider brokerage firm. Jim Young (Ben Affleck) pushes the recruits. Chris Varick (Vin Diesel) and the violent Richie O'Flaherty (Scott Caan) are top brokers. The owner Michael Brantley (Tom Everett Scott) is running a scam. Seth starts dating secretary Abbie Halpert (Nia Long) which angers her ex Greg. One of his client Harry Reynard is destroyed by his stock. After his father tries to help, he is pulled in to help the FBI.This doesn't have the style of Scorsese. It does have some great energetic up-and-coming young stars. I got a real kick out of Ben Affleck doing his Alec Baldwin impersonation from 'Glengarry Glen Ross'. Ribisi is his usual jittery goodness. His hard sell to Harry is difficult to watch. The movie gets by with its high energy audacity which oddly is how the brokerage firm does its business.

Boiler Room (2000): Dir: Ben Younger / Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nicky Katt, Ben Affleck, Nia Long: Film suggests places that we hide sin. A group of young males assemble together to ruin as many lives as possible while striking it rich. Giovanni Ribisi joins a firm as a stockbroker. He dropped out of school and makes money at illegal gambling. His father is a judge and disapproves of his son's choice of work. May remind viewers of Wallstreet although formula elements occur. Fine directing by Ben Younger with rather bland locations. Sly performance by Ribisi caught between temporary satisfaction through a worthless lifestyle, and disappointing his father. We know what is ahead but it is the friendships that cause Ribisi the biggest concern. Vin Diesel and Nicky Katt play veteran brokers but only Diesel comes off as three dimensional as he not only teaches Ribisi the robes, he also reluctantly understands his crucial decision. Katt unfortunately is playing a rival broker whom Ribisi won't impress, which leads to predictable tension. Ben Affleck is there to shout profanities in long meetings to motivate everyone into action. It is the worst role in the film. Nia Long is more or less featured as a possible romantic interest. While this is no Wallstreet, it is a worthy comparison. Message regards alertness to subduing operations within the dark compounds of deceit. Score: 7 / 10

***SPOILERS*** These greedy and crooked stock brokers never learn. In the movie made 13 years after the the great 1987 stock market crash with dozens of market bigwigs thrown behind bars for manipulating the market and fleecing investors of billions they, a new generation of crooked stock boys, are back again in action doing their thing. This time in a sleazy chop shop brokerage house 100 miles west of Wall Street in Commack NY called J.T Marlin. Told by the brokerage house's chief as well as senior member the 27 year old Jim Young, Ben Affleck, that anyone who's lucky enough to get a job at J.T Martin will end up being a millionaire,like himself, in just three short years. As it later turned out instead of being a millionaire they'll most likely, if they can't make a deal with the FBI, end up behind bars in a federal penitentiary!It'collage drop out Seth Davis, Glovanni Ribisi, who's drawn to J.T Marlin after his father federal district court judge Marty Davis,Ron Rifkin, frond out that he was running an illegal casino out of his home in Kew Gardens Queens. Told by his dad to get himself an honest job as well as a nice Jewish girl Seth ended up doing the exact opposite in both cases! The job that Seth got at J.T Marlin was as criminal a any business run by the Mafia. As for a nice Jewish girl Seth's girlfriend turns out to be the non-Jewish $80,000.00 a year single mom secretary at the place Abbie Halpet, Nia Long. It's was Abbie who ended up, under pressure by the FBI, ratting her "lover" Seth in order to save her own behind for withholding evidence of stock & bond fraud at the brokerage house! As for Seth himself he gets his honest federal judge dad Marty in the mix by getting him to reluctantly give Seth help in the trouble he got himself into thus implicating himself in his son's crimes! And soon Judge Marty finds himself facing not only disbarment but a stretch behind bars! All this trouble and heartbreak, in Seath's family, could have so easily been avoided if he just stayed with his illegal casino operation which his outraged dad made him give up for better things in life. Like a job at J.T Marlin where almost the entire crew that worked there ended up behind bars. With Seath, who like his girlfriend Abbie, ratting them out in order to save his own neck!***SPOILERS***Like the famous saying by Michael Douglas as sleaze ball Wall Street "Master of the Universe" Gordon Gekko in the movie "Wall Street" that "Greed is Good" Seth Davis and his fellow shyster stock brokers found out it, unrestricted and criminal greed,is just the opposite. Banned for life in the financial world was the best thing that Seth got by ratting out low life stock broker crooks like himself.Seth's dad was lucky to avoid jail time but lost his job as a well respected federal judge by just trying to help his not too bright son from ending up in the slammer ! As for Seth his only redeeming feature was getting one of his abused and cheated clients Harry Reynard, Taylor Nichols, his $50,000.00 in life saving back. It was the very naive and susceptible Reynard that Seth talked into investing in a company that didn't exist and was soon to go kaput. That was about the best thing that Seth did in his short career as an, or so he hoped, up and coming big time Wall Street stock broker.