Turns of dialogue ring compellingly true, and the well chosen cast (especially Ribisi) carry the inflections of the drama with some style.
Boiler Room (2000)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:96
Fresh:64
Rotten:32
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Even though the ending to Boiler Room is conveniently too nice and tidy, the writing and brisk pacing will keep you entertained.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis:
Welcome to the infamous "boiler room" - where twentysomething millionaires are made overnight. Here, in the inner sanctum of a fly-by-night brokerage firm, hyper-aggressive young stockjocks peddle...
Welcome to the infamous "boiler room" - where twentysomething millionaires are made overnight. Here, in the inner sanctum of a fly-by-night brokerage firm, hyper-aggressive young stockjocks peddle to unsuspecting buyers over the phone - and are rewarded with mansions, Ferraris and more luxury toys than they know what to do with. In this unassuming Long Island enclave, Gen Xers chase the green at breakneck speeds, sometimes one step ahead of the law.
19 year-old college drop-out Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) has just joined the inner circle of the boiler room boys - fired-up young men who get off on the adrenaline rush, the silver-tongued lingo, the ego boost of finagling hard sales for outrageous commissions. Seth wants to earn just two things in life: a million dollars and his perpetually disappointed father's respect. After failing to do either one by running an illicit casino out of his Queens apartment, Seth has decided to go legit by joining the only brokerage firm that promises him a fast road to the top.
At first the boiler room seems the perfect way to ride the monster economic wave of the '90s to riches, success and parental approval. Seth sports a suit and tie, works extreme hours and passes the stockbroker exams with record scores. Heīs fast on his feet, has a sharp cold-calling style and it seems as if his bank account - and his worth as a good son - are about to rise.
Soon Seth is hanging out with his boiler room buddies including Chris (Vin Diesel), a millionaire broker whose mouth is as fast as his money, and Greg (Nicky Katt), Sethīs arrogant and envious mentor. He even begins to date the firmīs receptionist, Debbie (Nia Long). And like everyone there, he feeds on the greed and fear of unsuspecting investors, selling them stocks they never wanted.
But as Seth watches his colleagues get richer and his customers get poorer, he begins to wonder just what makes the money go round at the Boiler Room. His insatiable curiosity leads to a series of fatal choices and a Federal investigation that brings him to the brink of losing everything - not just his friends, his job and the millions promised him, but his father. The longer Seth stays in the boiler room, the more things begin to heat up.
Boiler Room is a riveting expose of one of the biggest and most lucrative scams in American history - and a dramatic look at a generation obsessed with the speed of wealth and success. The film is written and directed by newcomer Ben Younger. The ensemble cast also includes Ben Affleck as the head recruiter, Tom Everett Scott as the investment firmīs boyish leader, Ron Rifkin as Sethīs father, as well as Scott Caan, Jamie Kennedy as the ambitious boiler room boys and Taylor Nichols as a victim of their ambition. Produced by Suzanne and Jennifer Todd, Boiler Room is a Team Todd production for New Line Cinema.
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Ben Affleck, Jamie Kennedy
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Ben Affleck, Jamie Kennedy, Scott Caan, Ron Rifkin, Nicky Katt, Nia Long, Taylor Nichols, Tom Everett Scott, David Younger
Director: Ben Younger
Director: Ben Younger
Screenwriter: Ben Younger
Producer: Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Composer: Angel
Reviews for Boiler Room
Ribisi, such a promising supporting actor in Saving Private Ryan as a medic and Friends as Phoebe's dopey brother, doesn't seem a big enough presence for a starring role yet.
Intriguing ... but the film is too busy being hip and preachy to notice the irony.
Boiler Room works as a morality play by presenting us with people whose moral compasses it's actually possible to care about.
With rap music, scratch cuts, sudden explosions from ticking bomb characters, verbal and physical strutting and a heavy dose of morality, it's a super-charged, intensely-played picture which will edge most of its cast up the ladder.
Almost liked this one about greedy, young stockbrokers working for an illegal firm, but hated the ending so much it derailed the movie.
...bad films are common enough that it's probably worth making distinctions between the unwatchable and the guilty pleasure.
A confident movie that tackles a worthwhile topic with insight and conviction.
Affleck's first scene is obviously a copy of Alec Baldwin's Oscar worthy cameo from GlenGarry, the only problem being the glaring omission of any acting talent in Affleck's limited repertoire.
Ribisi does a fine job opposite a typically goofy Jaime Kennedy, a typically sociopathic Scott Cann, and a surprisingly likeable Vin Diesel.
Vin Diesel steals nearly every scene he is in as Chris, one of the top earners in the firm and the only one who still has a heart.
An engaging actors' showcase wrapped around a warm and fuzzy morality play. Entertaining and fast-paced but ultimately not wound quite tightly enough to be the thriller it would like to be.
Boiler Room is a new kind of triumph: never has a film been so successfully derivative.
Ribisi is magnificent as a wide-eyed innocent who transitions into a slick veteran pitchman.
Ben Younger, who not only wrote and directed this film, but plays a minor part as one of the traders, has crafted an intense thriller about this often risky business.
Although Boiler Room occasionally feels more like a 60 Minutes expose than a movie, it adds up to a highly watchable, entertaining (though extremely profane) cautionary tale.
Boiler Room grips you early, with its fascinating insights and Younger's appropriation of hip hop music and his snappy, jump-cut-y visual style, and it hardly ever let go.
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