The Big Short and the Real-Life Events That Inspired It (With Beards)

“The Big Short” is a 2015 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Adam McKay, based on the 2010 book of the same name by Michael Lewis. The film tells the story of four outsiders in the world of high-finance who predicted the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.

But how much of the film is based on real-life events? Let's find out!

The film is largely based on the real-life events leading up to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, and the characters in the film are based on real people who played key roles in the crisis. And the best part? All the main characters have beards :D

One of the main characters in the film, Mark Baum (played by Steve Carell), is based on the real-life hedge fund manager Steve Eisman. Like Baum, Eisman was a skeptic of the housing market and made a fortune by betting against the subprime mortgage market. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Eisman said that the film captured the "essence" of what happened during the financial crisis, though he pointed out that some of the events depicted in the film were fictionalized for dramatic effect. Eisman also had a beard, though it wasn't as impressive as Carell's in the film.

Another main character in the film, Jared Vennett (played by Ryan Gosling), is based on the real-life Deutsche Bank trader Greg Lippmann. Like Vennett, Lippmann was one of the few people on Wall Street who saw the housing bubble for what it was and made a fortune by betting against it. In an interview with Business Insider, Lippmann said that the film was "mostly accurate," though he pointed out that some of the events depicted in the film were exaggerated or oversimplified. Lippmann also had a beard, though it was nowhere near as cool as Gosling's in the film.

Despite the fictionalized elements, "The Big Short" does a good job of capturing the greed, recklessness, and lack of oversight that contributed to the financial crisis. The film highlights the importance of questioning authority and standing up for what you believe in, even if it means going against the mainstream. And let's not forget the beards – they really added to the film's credibility and cool factor. As Mark Baum says in the film: "In the end, the only thing that matters is that you're right." (And that you have a killer beard, of course!)