A lot of times it seems like the world of the stock broker is best left to those that don’t have a heart to speak of and find it amusing to take advantage of people that have very little to invest and milking them for all that they have. When looking at how things are run in the real world the movies don’t look too far off the mark however. Giovanni Ribisi though plays a man that initially gets into the job for the promise of big money and a chance to show his family that he can be somebody. When he starts getting into the darker side of the practice he begins to take note of the damage that’s being done and just how cutthroat the business really is. Real or not the art of taking people’s money and squandering it on poor investments to get rich is not as off the mark as it might seem.
The only difference is that in the real world the people with big hearts tend to get squashed quicker and more often before causing this kind of damage.
10. A few of the actors have starred in other films together.
Giovanni Ribisi has starred with Scott Caan in Gone In Sixty Second and with Vin Diesel in Saving Private Ryan.
9. There’s an alternate ending to the film.
The investor that Ribisi’s character ruined by making bad investments comes to the company armed and ready to cause mayhem. The director decided to go with the FBI raid scene instead so as to leave the movie on a more positive note.
8. The plot is loosely inspired by Jordan Belfort.
If you don’t remember, Jordan Belfort was the primary inspiration for The Wolf of Wall Street, and has been a standard for a few different films since.
7. Giovanni Ribis plays a college dropout in this film.
The director is a college graduate from the same school that Ribisi’s character dropped out of, Queens College.
6. Ben Affleck’s speech is somewhat familiar.
It was inspired by a speech given by Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. Anyone that’s watched the film would know how it was designed to mirror that speech in a couple of ways.
5. The building that houses J.T. Marlin is very real.
It housed the Continental Dealer Broker Corp.
4. There’s a mention of Vin Diesel’s production company.
When another character tells Diesel’s character to get his “one race” hands off of his money the reference is made.
3. Ratner’s, the restaurant used in the film, is also in another film.
This restaurant was also used for a stake-out scene in the French Connection.
2. In the scene outside Greg’s house they couldn’t move the car.
They couldn’t move the car because they didn’t have the keys. Ben Affleck had been sitting in the car earlier listening to music, before the scene was shot, and had accidentally taken the keys with him when he left.
1. The chips in Ribis’s casino were made by American Standard Molding.
This is the same company that makes a lot of sets for home games and casinos.
The world of stock brokers is not for the faint of heart.
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