Too Big To Fail
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: May 23, 2011
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17

Critic Reviews

  1. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    May 24, 2011
    60
    Too Big To Fail adapted by director Curtis Hanson and screenwriter Peter Gould from a book by journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin, is a decent movie with a stellar title.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    May 23, 2011
    60
    Too Big to Fail is pretty consistent low-key entertainment if not exactly enlightening (because it is an impersonation of the truth) or gripping (because we already know how it sort of ends).
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    May 20, 2011
    60
    Too Big to Fail has momentum and a certain wonky remove, but is too epic in scope, as Gould's script struggles to match the breadth of the original journalism while the actors try to convince us that they understand all their lines.
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    May 23, 2011
    40
    It fails to transform those events into anything valuable or special, beyond docudramatic re-creation. Ultimately, it's scope is too big, and it fails.

Awards & Rankings

60
#60 Best TV Season of 2011
98
#98 Most Discussed TV Season of 2011
49
#49 Most Shared TV Season of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. Rabidabbey
    Jul 13, 2012
    0
    What a piece of crap this was. They made the villains look like victims. As if Geitner, Paulsom, Dimon, Bernanke and the rest of them are theWhat a piece of crap this was. They made the villains look like victims. As if Geitner, Paulsom, Dimon, Bernanke and the rest of them are the good guys trying their best to do the right thing. What nonsense. Am I really supposed to believe that the collapse can all be blamed on irresponsible home buyers and the british? Really? I call ****… Full Review »
  2. HardCopy_iMDb
    Sep 6, 2011
    6
    "Too big to fail" ultimately .... FAILED.
    Let me count the ways:
    One, no one made the only thing to say about the dictum "Too big to fail"    "Too big to fail" ultimately .... FAILED.
    Let me count the ways:
    One, no one made the only thing to say about the dictum "Too big to fail" which is that Too big to fail ... is too big. A company, whose fall can bring down the entire country and the world, is just too big.

    Two, the most common response to this movie by critics and reviewers and on the interwebs is either that it's too complicated (so it's boring?) or surprisingly entertaining while being complicated. If that is what this film does to people, instead of warning them about completely insane upperclass culture of gambling with the money of the middle class, yes then it failed in its goals.
    Three, Paulson, and most players in this catastrophe are propped up as heroes or bystanders. except for Dick Fuld, who is blamed for killing the deal with Koreans. Then Paulson is blamed for not checking with the British. Just ONE of the investment bankers comes off as a greedy a-hole, but only to leftiwing viewers, since he's demanding the right to give out fat bonuses ... out of 125 billion dollars of taxpayer money.

    The reall villain, the mentality of greed and "government is bááááááád", is only indicated mildly. No one is pointing out that the home owner who borrowed too much are actually ALL (upper) middle class! In other words, that 's US, folks! Not the poor innercity blacks, who are blamed throughout the righwing blogosphere.

    The ultimate failure of this movie is that it does not give any hope that anybody has learned anything from all of this. Do we need to fall further down, to crash even harder, for the bankers to change course? No. these people will never learn NOT to be irresponsible. Whatever might happen, they will always gamble wiith our money

    So its our job to think of ways to stop them    … Full Review »
  3. MarcDoyle
    May 29, 2011
    9
    What I thought would be a little dry turned out to be an absolutely thrilling account of one of the more critical behind-the-scenes events inWhat I thought would be a little dry turned out to be an absolutely thrilling account of one of the more critical behind-the-scenes events in American history. Exactly what Hank Paulson, Tim Geithner, Ben Bernanke, et al were engineering to prevent the worldwide financial system from melting down is fascinating. Billy Crudup and William Hurt are absolutely outstanding in this movie, as is Cynthia Nixon (surprisingly). Worth seeing in a big way. I might have to pick up Andrew Ross Sorkin's book on which this film is based.… Full Review »
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