Other People's Money
Starring Danny DeVito and Gregory Peck
1991
As entertainment this movie misses the mark - it is however very relevant, including in how it misses. Personally, I enjoyed analyzing these flaws, both as a production and in the Hollywood presentation of the Wall Street ethos. It is not a movie of good and evil, of black and white, but the moral conclusion the producers intend from that balance definitely falls short.
The biggest failing of the movie is Danny DeVito as a romantic interest, sorry, but it just doesn't fly. There are certainly power couples though not all that different from what Devito and his prey's representative signify.
The 1980's were famous for corporate raiders and this movie is a part of the cultural reaction. That history is all the more relevant today - and, personally, I'm wondering if perhaps some of the protections for corporate boards enacted in this time actually reduced the accountability of corporate boards to their shareholders.
This speech is very, very good - but it's about as true as a George Bush election promise:
