Sadly Over-hyped

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

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.

This is an entertaining movie in many ways filled with memorable scenes making it a watch it again movie. Good acting and quite a few supporting characters make us believe the story no problem. The movie stirs up your greed and fear genes as well as your emotions as you watch and are let in on con games that are well rehearsed and for the ones that pull it off very lucrative too. However, the movie makes this point; "it is not what a man has but how he came to have it" and that haunts the viewer for it truthfulness. If we can help someone do so and if not at least do no harm is a good take away to leave with for this movie. Enjoy Vin Diesel as he makes his acting known and look forward to the inside moves of the stock market and how those that do not know anything are prey for this predator assuming that something is amiss or fishy. Blue chip stocks don't do much as this movie states but who doesn't want to make money? We see that with Google, Snapchat, Microsoft and all the rest of those start-ups. The idea is to have your stock and eat it too and that takes knowing what you are doing to some degree not to mention being able to afford to lose. Yes, there is a downside to everything and before you risk, know that downside! Good movie for a sandwich and tasty drink with a favorite snack. Be prepared for lots of foul language which turned me off and while it sometimes conveys the reality of a situation you can also over do it too. That is he case here. Another good lesson you will find here that when the police get involved it is game-over to be sure. BTW...if you get the urge to want to buy stock, play some monopoly you know the fun board game to get it out of your system win or lose. Enjoy

If you like Wall Street thrillers, this is a well done production. I found the story engaging, as well as the subplots between Seth and his father and girl friend. There are parallels to real life and found this added to the credibility of the story Younger was telling. The supporting cast is well catered for here and they add richness to the plot.In the shadow of the global financial crisis, its still relevant today in how the finance industry will cannibalize its investors. Although this movie is over 10 years old, you will find it time has not diminished the story.

***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.