Is Margin Call the Most Realistic Depiction of Finance in a Movie of all Time?

Curious to hear everyone's thoughts, but it seems to me like the nuances of Margin Call come way closer to depicting actual life in finance than any other movies. 

  • Older employees writing off conclusions they know are correct from junior employees and getting pissed off at them, only to slowly come around to the fact that they're right, then acting like the realizations are all their own insights
  • The discussion about what the senior employee making $2.5M actually banks after all of his stupid expenses (that somehow seem reasonable and agreeable to the junior employees)
  • HR playing good cop, bad cop and the role of charming women delivering brutal news to middle-aged men (ie, sending women with pretty faces on the front line to deliver verdicts that would draw combat if delivered by people that the MDs see as their equals)
  • The juniors getting called back after drinking at a bar and trying to hide the alcohol on their breath (and the seniors not mentioning it when theyr'e clearly aware)
  • The seniors pretending not to understand how to read certain data / bloomberg screens until they get shook enough to care, then immediately realizing how to read it once they realize the situation is urgent
  • The relentless pattern of pecking order. A guy at a relatively low level figures something out but it takes 5 iterations of senior employees getting mad at it then slowly accepting it until the message reaches the top rung (once it's too late)
 

Voluptatum quos consequatur placeat architecto perferendis corrupti autem. Est cupiditate inventore ducimus. Corrupti autem quas quae nesciunt at. Dolor neque aut distinctio rerum animi.

Consectetur est quia sunt exercitationem voluptatem. Ratione quia molestiae qui est aut.

Animi et ut dolor quia. Atque odit debitis adipisci expedita doloremque ut expedita. Deserunt et sit aperiam voluptates qui veritatis praesentium. Aut porro qui et vitae aperiam. Ut consequuntur iure consequatur impedit inventore repudiandae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”