Set early on in the 2008 financial crisis, the film “Margin Call” zeros in on one investment firm and the actions of a handful of key players — from its CEO to an entry-level risk analyst — over a tumultuous 24-hour period. Matt Levine, Bloomberg Opinion columnist (“Money Stuff”) and a former investment banker, has called it “the greatest finance movie.” In today’s bonus episode, Matt joins Kenny Malone and Mary Childs to talk about the 2011 film for our latest Planet Money Movie Club! They dig into how “Margin Call” captures what it’s like to work at an investment bank, the tightrope it walks between realism and storytelling, and what the movie says about the role of finance in society. It’s a fun listen whether or not you’ve seen the film!
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