On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are becoming depraved, hollow husks of our normal selves as we sell our souls to the financial devil in Oliver Stone’s film from 1987, Wall Street.
Bear with us for this one, because we hardly know half of what everyone’s talking about. We’re but humble podcasting fellows. Not the sort of fast-talking, free-wheeling Wall Street goons that would actually understand all the finer points of what’s going on between Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen.
To our credit, we’re not completely lost, but at times, enjoying and understanding this movie requires at least a Master’s degree in some sort of high finance. Heck, we have filmmaking degrees for crying out loud! What do we know about the trading floor, backroom deals, and cocaine-fueled ‘80s parties?
What we do know is great acting, and Michael Douglas delivers like nobody’s business with this one. Is it any surprise that he won an Oscar for his performance as the conniving and slimy Gordon Gekko? He elevates a film that would otherwise have had the thrill and pace of a middle-of-the-road documentary.
His seduction of Charlie Sheen’s character is so well-managed and ultimately so heartless that it’s clear why Sheen idolized the man. It’s also clear how he amassed as much power as he did.
In the end, though, what we witness with this film is a work of prescience. The events fictionalized in this movie may have taken place in the ‘80s, but they’re as relevant now as ever. Cast your mind back to the global financial troubles that we all endured in 2008. Look at what’s happening these days. While this film may have taken place decades ago, its warnings are as current as ever.
(Recorded on June 21, 2021)
Links to Stuff We Mentioned:
Unions at The Ringer and Gimlet Media announce their first contracts. - The New York Times
Eric Eddings on Twitter - Twitter
(This is a searing and important perspective from someone who worked at Gimlet before and during the time of their Bon Appétit debacle. He was given the short shrift and was devalued as an employee and a person. His story is absolutely worth a read and your time.)
