Summary
It’s sassy and sarcastic, and I highly recommend watching this documentary series on one of the strangest but most satisfying stunts to come out of the pandemic.
Netflix documentary series Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga will be released on September 28, 2022.
Wall Street is a world we all hear about, but what do we really know and understand about it? In this must-watch documentary series, we see a bunch of amateur traders devise a plan to flip the stock market upside down to get rich quickly, causing chaos and costing Wall Street billions.
In January 2021, the world was still in the middle of the Covid pandemic, and groups on social media such as Reddit and TikTok merged to get rich quickly. Across three episodes, lasting roughly forty minutes each, we learn about GameStop, which was a store at the mall that sold video games and who everyone thought would be the next Blockbuster.
As its stocks were going down Wall Street was ready, as Wall Street makes money off other people’s misfortunes, and some people were just a bit sick of that. Hyping up GameStop on social media, the stocks went up and up, with people buying and buying and causing a market crash. (I think – there’s a lot to learn and take in here, but this is what I get from it)
Now our maverick Reddit users invested in GameStop stock to inflate prices and fight back against Wall Street hedge funds. Using the power of the internet to bring down the kings of the financial world, these Redditors caused mass money losses, and we love it. Viewers usually enjoy watching the super-rich failing and losing all that money they need and control. The gamification of trading (through an app) makes the world of Wall Street seem less powerful, less intimidating, and makes you think, huh, could I do this? Can I gamble with stocks?
You learn quite a bit about the stock market and how it works in this documentary, so it might leave you feeling a bit more financially savvy. There’s a narrator who simplifies the financial jargon, helping us understand more, although some did still go completely over my head.
We’re given exclusive interviews with the real people directly involved in Reddit’s infamous r/wallstreetbets community that was opened by the founder Jaime Rogozinski. There are also interviews with stockbrokers, investors, content creators, influencers, and the everyday, ordinary people who joined the GameStop party as it grew in popularity.
The difference in interview styles is so interesting; the formal, corporate money makers, in the office with hundreds of screens, compared to casual, quirky Reddit/social media influencers who are at home, with their families, in their personal space, really highlights the two areas we’re dealing with here. Also, how shocking politicians really don’t know anything about the internet and the finger blaming for this money crisis.
Across the three episodes, there is a good pace where you’re not left bored, and you can easily watch in one evening. I was completely hooked to see how this panned out. It completely takes the mick out of Wall Street, politicians, anyone who has power and control over society, and the everyday person. Showing how influential and powerful the internet can be, it’s so satisfying and funny to watch how the people behind the screens can really shake up the world. I can’t wait for what and who they might take next.
What did you think of Eat The Rich: The GameStop Saga? Comment below.
