Review: HBO’s Too Big to Fail

On Monday evening, I sat down to watch “Too Big to Fail” — HBO’s adaptation of Andrew Ross Sorkin’s best selling book of the same name. Sorkin’s magnum opus does not attempt to explain why the crisis happened; but rather, detail the specifics of what happened. Day by day, bank by bank, the crisis is unveiled through the stories of various bankers, Fed and Treasury officials.



As a piece of entertainment, I strongly recommend it. It is a fantastic ensemble cast filled with terrific actors. William Hurt as Hank Paulson is simply riveting. James Woods turns Dick Fuld into a comtemptable, clueless jackass. Paul Giammatti plays Ben Bernanke with a viciously dry wit I did not know the Chairman possessed. The rest of the cast is every bit as good.



As someone who followed the crisis closely, the movie depiction of the parties involved gets the standard Hollywood over-simplification and glamorization. Its a ragtag team brought together to fight incredible odds against evil, uncontrollable forces. We should expect a mash up turning this into the Lord of the Rings any day now.



Jesse Eisinger makes the following wry observation about the film version:



“The movie is set up in the Hollywood conventional way: A gang of misfits, each with a special expertise, is brought together for an impossible mission. There’s Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, steely eyed at the moment of truth. There’s New York Federal Reserve head Timothy Geithner, the athlete (he doesn’t just jog, but also plays what appears to be squash). And then there’s Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, the professor with a heart of gold and secret knowledge of the Great Depression.



Ostensibly it’s a story of their success against all odds. Michael Kinsley, reviewing the movie in the New York Times, labeled Hank Paulson the “hero” of the account.



Except that the movie actually depicts something entirely different: failure upon failure. “Too Big To Fail” The Movie isn’t the story of how the Three Musketeers saved the global economy. It’s a story of how the three didn’t see the financial crisis coming; hadn’t prepared for it; made mistake after mistake as it was cresting; and then, in their moment of triumph, made their most colossal blunder of all.” (my emphasis)



In his Pro Publica article, Eisinger explains in far greater detail the subtext which the film almost inadvertently slips in.



I strongly recommend you see the movie; it is terrific entertainment. But I also suggest that afterwards, you plow through Eisinger’s full review — just so you understand what is fact and what has been fictionalized for your entertainment



Source:

In HBO’s ‘Too Big to Fail,’ the Heroes Are Really Zeroes

Army Wives Review: "On Behalf Of a Grateful Nation"

If this was not the most frustrating beginning of an episode of Army Wives, I'd love for you to point me to another. To start right at the funeral, all wives in equal position (notably missing was Tonya) meant more drawn out anguish for this viewer and critic.

When they flashed back to Afghanistan, I kept thinking back to the previous episodes when Trevor was less than satisfied with what the Afghan forces were showing in terms of capabilities. They didn't seem to realize it was a life or death situation, which was ironic since it was their own country that had been under siege for so long. Their sheer unwillingness to fight for their own freedom was going to cause the death of one of our own.

We were seven minutes in before we finally saw the end of the line seated at the funeral. To Denise's right was Frank, and to his, Tonya. Jeremy was gone.

When Michael told Frank there were casualties, the look on Frank's face was tragic. Michael just walked away, leaving Frank in his grief. They were not only partners in combat but friends. At a time like that, what could have possibly been said to make the news any easier?

Given that the war is still going on, I was surprised our American troops had to lead in battle. I don't know what I expected, but that it didn't go the way of political correctness felt honorable. Trevor is going to take this very hard. He didn't have confidence in what they were doing, and this won't make his job overseeing the Afghan army any easier.

Where was Tonya's family? Granted, they never had the chance to meet Jeremy, but wouldn't they fly to be with their daughter at her fiancee's funeral? Perhaps they were setting the stage for our guess of her pregnancy and moving in with Denise. It didn't make me feel any better for Tonya. She was so alone, and with only new friends at her side. What an awful position.

Roland took Jeremy's death particularly bad. He was the one who worked with him through his darkest moments to keep him alive after his suicide attempt. To then lose him in combat must have been particularly challenging.

It was agonizing that it took the death of his son for Frank to meet his daughter for the first time. How such a moment could be so distorted with both joy and grief was nearly impossible to imagine.

"On Behalf Of a Grateful Nation" might be the turning point for TJ. He wanted to be there for Roxy in place of Trevor at the funeral. It might be the one thing that could knock him out of his stupor. To lose someone you loved and respected often brings out new qualities as people deal with their grief.

The episode was so tastefully done that there is really little to discuss. There is no doubt this will change the way our families deal with Army life, and we will witness many developments as a result. The episode itself was respectful of our fallen, and in memory of them. What else would we expect from Army Wives?