Too Big to Fail (2011)

Chronicles the financial meltdown of 2008 and centers on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writers:

Peter Gould, Andrew Ross Sorkin (book)

Stars:

James Woods, John Heard, William Hurt

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Woods	...	Richard Fuld
John Heard	...	Joe Gregory
William Hurt	...	Henry Paulson
Erin Dilly	...	Christal West
Amy Carlson	...	Erin Callan
Topher Grace	...	Jim Wilkinson
Ayad Akhtar	...	Neel Kashkari
Cynthia Nixon	...	Michele Davis
Kathy Baker	...	Wendy Paulson
Edward Asner	...	Warren Buffett
Paul Giamatti	...	Ben Bernanke
Beau Baxter	...	Skip McGee
Ben Livingston	...	Investment Banker
Erin Burnett	...	Herself
Chance Kelly	...	Bart McDade

Storyline

A close look behind the scenes, between late March and mid-October, 2008: we follow Richard Fuld's benighted attempt to save Lehman Brothers; conversations among Hank Paulson (the Secretary of the Treasury), Ben Bernanke (chair of the Federal Reserve), and Tim Geithner (president of the New York Fed) as they seek a private solution for Lehman's; and, back-channel negotiations among Paulson, Warren Buffet, investment bankers, a British regulator, and members of Congress as almost all work to save the U.S. economy. By the end, with the no-strings bailout arranged, modest confidence restored on Wall Street, and a meltdown averted, Paulson wonders if banks will lend.

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Plot Keywords:

financial | global economic crisis of 2008 | year 2008 | financial system | economic crisis | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | News

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 May 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Too Big to Fail

Filming Locations:

JC Studios, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deuce Three Productions, HBO Films, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a true story.

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Quotes

Michele Davis: I hate to do this right now, but I'm going to have to have a press call first thing, and I don't know what I'm going to tell them.
Jim Wilkinson: Okay, here's how you explain it. Wall Street started bundling home loans together - mortgage-backed securities - and selling slices of those bundles to investors, and they were making big money. So they started pushing the lenders saying, come on, we need more loans.
Henry Paulson: The lenders had already given loans to borrowers with good credit, so they go bottom feeding, they ...
[...]

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Connections

References Toy Story 3 (2010)

User Reviews

"Too Big to Fail" Truly Succeeds

This HBO produced film gives dialog and a behind-the-scenes feel to the 2008 financial debacle so perfectly exposed in "Inside Job."

The direction by Curtis Hanson is razor-clean cut, and the performances, especially by James Woods, Paul Giamatti and William Hurt underscore the irony that not one of the self-serving "public servants" has "served" one single day of jail time and continue to live their over-the-top, elegant lifestyles.

The effective use of actually news footage from our 24/7 news cycle serve as a percussive soundtrack as we watch the financial worlds of your "off the Street" American citizens self destruct at the hands of the Bush administration.

Thank you HBO for continuing to do what you have done so well for so many years!