Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

This movie is excellent. There is such a wonderful combination that makes it so successful in my eyes. Statistically, this movie isn’t successful because it didn’t make a lot of money. But, of the people that did see Boiler Room, this movie is considered successful. My evidence for this movie being so widely loved is the 79% of the people on epinions who recommend it.

I saw this movie because, surprisingly enough, I love Giovanni Ribisi. I’ve seen all his movies and his guest appearances on the hit TV show Friends. I think he’s a tremendous rising star, and he’ll be in the movie business for years to come. Anyway, I saw this movie because I like Mr. Ribisi, and I wasn’t let down at all. Considering the fact that I thought this movie was going to be about boring stockbrokers, I was blown away. I actually decided to rent this movie quite recently, and when I watched it, I was just enthralled. There were surprises constantly being revealed, and the formula that this movie followed was a success. When I got into bed the night I saw Boiler Room, I couldn’t help but replay the movie over and over again in my head. I pondered the movie’s aspects so frequently that I actually re-watched the movie in the morning.

Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) is a young man who runs a well-organized illegal casino out of his apartment. He has hired loyal workers, instilled his business’s security with video cameras throughout, and most importantly, hooked lots of under-aged customers into gambling there. Seth is very successful, at least in the materialistic definition. Seth lacks the love of his father (Ron Rifkin) who is put in a tight spot because he is a prominent judge, and Seth runs an illegal business. So, in order to shape up in his father’s eyes, Seth thinks about how he can start earning an honest living. Late one night at Seth’s apartment/casino, his buddy Adam (Jamie Kennedy) shows up with his friend Greg (Nicky Katt). When Seth asks Adam where his brand spanking new Ferrari came from, and the wads of cash Adam’s been throwing down on the poker table, Adam brings up his gold mine, the stock brokerage of JT Marlin. Once Greg and Adam explain the promise of making tons of money, Seth is driven to become a trader at JT Marlin so he can finally impress his father and maybe earn his trust and respect. Seth goes through the first tutorial led by Jim Young (Ben Affleck), which motivates him even more. Seth works his way up the ladder and finally becomes a senior trader, who is able to earn the real money. Problems arise when Seth starts dating the ex-girlfriend (Nia Long) of Greg, his mentor, and when he finds out the mysteries behind JT Marlin.

This movie is witty, quick, entertaining, and a must see. It’s Ben Younger’s debut film that he directed and wrote, and he really did a phenomenal job. The thing I really love about Boiler Room is the fact that there are a bunch of things going on at once. For example, Seth gives one of his clients bogus stock advice. When the client starts to lose thousands and thousands of dollars, his life goes down the drain (his wife leaves him and takes his 2 kids). Seth feels horrible and has to find out some way to make his client’s money back. I also love how this movie follows the stockbrokers’ lives. The portrayal of these brokers is so interesting and it seems so real. It seems like most of the young traders do drugs, and they all have terrible tempers. They lead their lives in the fast lane; lives with endless funds and what seems to be endless opportunities. The rich lifestyle can be best explained by this quote from Greg: “Those f-ing Guineas [stock-brokers], half of them do coke. They all drink. No stability, zero capital. They make all this money and they're always living three steps ahead. Do you know there are guys in this firm that make close to a million a year and couldn't get a loan for a Honda because their credit is so bad. Everyone's just waiting for the fifteenth of the month. It's like they may drive a Porsche but they don't have ten bucks to put in the gas tank.”

The acting in this movie could quite possibly be the best part. All the actors, minus Ben Affleck, are pretty much rising stars in Hollywood. By now you’ve probably seen most of them gets lots of acting jobs, (Giovanni Ribisi in Gone in Sixty Seconds, Nicky Katt in Boston Public, Vin Diesel in Fast and the Furious, etc.), but they can still be considered rising stars. I think that Giovanni Ribisi delivered his best performance in this movie. He was so good and so believable in his role. He was great as the big-hearted, kind, honest Jewish boy that everyone could grow to love. His romance on screen with Nia Long was also fantastic. It was nice to see how their little friendship got turned into a whole romantic relationship. The chemistry between Nia Long and Giovanni Ribisi was wonderful. Nia Long did a great job as the strong and only female affiliated with JT Marlin. Nicky Katt was amazing as the selfish and bossy trader. Scott Caan wasn’t in the movie too much, but he definitely portrayed the rebellious, crazy, and energetic stockbroker well. Vin Diesel was superb as the friendly and somewhat intimidating broker. Tom Everett Scott played a very idealistic boss. He was always generous and fair, and he knew how to squeeze himself out of a tight spot. Jamie Kennedy was the funniest. He always said the unexpected jokes in such a playful manner. The characters came from such different backgrounds, but they all shared the same passion for money. It was interesting to watch all the characters on screen with such thunderous presence. They made such a random group of hooligans and it was great. Their night scenes were probably the most entertaining to watch.

This movie offers so much mystery. You never know what’s coming next. All you can do is watch on the edge of your seat, anxiously awaiting every little detail to be unraveled. This movie has everything. It has humor, drama, action, suspense, and everything else. This movie leaves your thirst for a good film highly fulfilled. If you’re a fan of Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Ben Affleck, Scott Caan, Jamie Kennedy, Nicky Katt, or Nia Long, you should check this out. If you liked Wall Street (a movie all the brokers have memorized), or the Firm, you should check this out. If you’re in the mood for just a good movie, you should absolutely check this out. Boiler Room is phenomenal, and you’d be making a mistake if you didn’t watch it.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age