| Boiler Room | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ben Younger |
| Written by | Ben Younger |
| Produced by | Jennifer Todd Suzanne Todd |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Enrique Chediak |
| Edited by | Chris Peppe |
| Music by | The Angel |
Production company | Team Todd |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 120 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7 million[2] |
| Box office | $28 million[2] |
Boiler Room is a 2000 Americancrimedrama film written and directed byBen Younger and starringGiovanni Ribisi,Vin Diesel,Nia Long,Ben Affleck,Nicky Katt,Scott Caan,Tom Everett Scott,Ron Rifkin andJamie Kennedy. The film was conceived when Younger interviewed for a job at brokerage firm Sterling Foster. "I walked in and immediately realized, 'This is my movie.' I mean, you see these kids and know something is going on."[3]
The film was nominated for several awards including aBlack Reel Award, aBritish Independent Film Award and twoIndependent Spirit Awards. It won the Special Jury Prize at the 2000Deauville Film Festival.
In 1999, Seth Davis, aQueens College dropout, runs acasino in his home near campus, catering to college students. Although his earnings are successful, his father, federal judge Marty Davis, views him as a disappointment. One night, his cousin Adam stops by the casino to playblackjack, bringing an associate named Greg Weinstein. Greg recruits Seth to join J. T. Marlin, abrokerage firm based off theLong Island Expressway, promising him an opportunity to get rich.
Arriving at the firm, Seth attends a group interview and learns from Jim Young, one of its co-founders, what is expected of his work and also how to become a millionaire, which he assures to new applicants will happen within three years of their first day of employment at J. T. Marlin. The firm's techniques of selling includecold calling investors to sell stock and Seth joins as a stockbroker trainee, having to close 40 accounts and pass aSeries 7 Exam to begin working independently. He soon makes a good living, wins his father's approval, and embarks on a romance with Abbie Halpert, a secretary and Greg's ex-girlfriend.
Gradually, he learns J. T. Marlin is a chop shop brokerage firm that runs apump and dump, using its brokers to createartificial demand in the stock of expired or fake companies and speculative penny stocks. When the firm is done pumping the stock, the founders sell and trade for legitimate stocks for record profits. However, the investors then have no one to sell their shares to in the market when the stock price plummets, causing them to lose their investment.FBI agents investigating the firm decide to pursue Seth, hoping to make him their informant.
Seth passes his Series 7 Exam and becomes a broker. He then contacts Harry Reynard, a gourmet food company's purchasing manager. Initially reluctant, Harry gives in after Seth lies about the stock being guaranteed to go up in value. Seth sells him 100 shares at $8 each. When the stock's value drops, Harry calls to ask what has gone wrong, only for Seth to persuade him into buy more worthless shares. The stock eventually tanks, costing Harry his savings and family.
Feeling guilty for scamming Harry, Seth resolves to shut the firm down. Marty, discovering it was nothing more than a chop shop, disowns him, accusing him of destroying peoples' lives. Seth investigates further, discovering the firm's founders are already preparing to abandon J. T. Marlin, destroy the records, and cut ties with their employees to rebrand and start the scheme under a new name, leaving their victims to face a lengthy legal battle with little hope of recovering the money. Seth shows up at Marty's office and tearfully explains he shut his casino down and went along with a criminal line of work he thought was legal to gain his approval. He then requests his father help him on anIPO scheme to rob the firm of their money and bring them down, hoping his actions, while illegal, will recover enough money to help J. T. Marlin's victims. Although Marty initially refuses due to the risk of losing his judgeship, he calls Seth the next day, reconciling with him and offering to help.
Seth is eventually arrested by the FBI for violating 26SEC andNASD regulations and is brought into custody along with his father, as the bureau had discovered their IPO scheme from a tape-recorded phone conversation. They offer federal immunity if he agrees to testify against J. T. Marlin, but threaten to involve Marty in order to assure his cooperation. Seth asserts he will testify against the firm only if his father is released. He and the agents come to an agreement, with Seth being kept overnight. Afterwards, it's implied he will be free as the FBI proceeds to raid the building and prosecute everybody else.
Seth returns to work the next day and follows the FBI's instructions to make copies of investment files on afloppy disk to use as evidence. Before leaving, he attempts to get Harry's money back. He lies to Michael Brantley, the company's founder, by explaining the firm can lose a lot of money by refusing to continue business with Harry Reynard, who Seth makes out to be an important prospect. Brantley agrees to proceed, offering him shares of the next IPO, with a caveat that states he cannot sell the shares until the firm sells off theirs. In order to sell the shares behind Michael's back, Seth needs a sell ticket signed by a senior broker, something his direct supervisor, Greg, explicitly said he would never do. He seeks a signing from Chris Varick, explaining he might as well do one thing right in helping a severely hit investor make his money back, since the firm will now be raided and, soon enough, there will be no future in continuing business at J. T. Marlin. Chris reluctantly agrees and proceeds to escape the building in an attempt to flee federal enforcement. Seth walks out, wondering what to do with his life since his ties with J. T. Marlin are finished. As he departs in his car, several FBI vehicles enter the parking lot, with agents ready to raid the building.
Another ending for the film was also shot. In it, it follows many of the same beats, but shows Harry Reynard retrieving a gun from his garage after his family leaves him. Instead of the FBI pulling into the parking lot of J.T. Marlin, Harry Reynard pulls in, walking up to the entrance with a briefcase containing his gun. On his way, he bumps into Seth, dropping a bunch of papers. Neither man recognizes the other, as they've never seen each other in person. Seth helps gather his things and gives them back to Harry, before heading to his car. In a voiceover, he said he never got Harry back his money, but hopes he was able to buy that house.
In interviews, Ben Younger said he was inspired to write the script for the film after going to a job interview at aLong Island-based brokerage firm that turned out to be apyramid scheme.[4][5] Younger said he used a speech given by a top broker to the would-be trainees as the model for the lecture the Jim Young character makes early in the film.[4]Jordan Belfort, a former stockbroker and financial criminal who would writeThe Wolf of Wall Street, claimed that the movie was also loosely based on his rise and fall.[6][7] Younger spent two years interviewing stockbrokers atboiler rooms, where callers aggressively peddle often fraudulent investments to consumers.[4] Younger sold his script on the condition that he direct.Artisan Entertainment initially backed the production and helped bring actors Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, and Affleck to the project, but later backed out.New Line Cinema then stepped in for distribution.[4]
The film opened in the United States on February 18, 2000 alongsideHanging Up,Pitch Black andThe Whole Nine Yards, grossing $6.7 million on its opening weekend. Eventually, the film grossed $17 million domestically and $11.8 million in other territories, with a worldwide total of $28.8 million.[2][8]
OnRotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 66% based on reviews from 104 critics. The site's consensus is: "Its ending is disappointingly tidy, butBoiler Room boasts just enough sharp writing and brisk pacing to make getting there worthwhile."[9] OnMetacritic the film has a score of 63 out of 100 based on reviews from 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews[10] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film a grade C+ on scale of A to F.[11]
Multiple critics noted the film's echoes of other corporate greed films likeWall Street andGlengarry Glenn Ross.[12][13][14] Malcolm Johnson of theHartford Courant wrote "Affleck, the best-known actor in the ensemble, proves no match for Alec Baldwin of 'Glengarry,' who played a similar character in David Mamet's look at a phony real estate operation."[13] He also said "the screenplay misses the verbal pyrotechnics of both [Oliver] Stone and Mamet."[13]A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times wrote Giovanni Ribisi "captures Seth's man-child suavity as well as his childish sensitivity, and the sweetness underneath his cynicism", and "Nia Long brings wit and patience to the underwritten role of Marlin's receptionist and Seth's love interest, a black woman surrounded by white guys trying to act like homeboys."[15] Vin Diesel was also cited as being one of the more "likable" characters at the brokerage firm.[13][16]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars and wrote: "Has the high-octane feel of real life, closely observed."[16]Emanuel Levy ofVariety gave the film a mixed review and said while it "begins extremely well as a saga of greed and conspicuous consumption...it gradually loses its bite."[17] Levy also praised Affleck for his performance.[17]James Berardinelli ofReelViews gave it 3 out of 4 stars and called it "A compelling movie-going experience."[18] Berardinelli praised the attention to detail and said the film achieves "the same sort of insight into stock brokering thatGlengarry Glenn Ross offered into sales. In fact, this aspect of the film is what makesBoiler Room a compelling movie-going experience. The characters and plot become secondary to the setting and atmosphere."[18]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Reel Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nia Long | Nominated | |
| British Independent Film Awards | Best Foreign Independent Film | Nominated | ||
| Deauville American Film Festival | Jury Special Prize | Ben Younger | Won[a] | |
| Grand Special Prize | Nominated | |||
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Feature | Ben Younger,Jennifer Todd,Suzanne Todd | Nominated | |
| Best First Screenplay | Ben Younger | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Film - Choice Liar | Giovanni Ribisi | Nominated | |
| Film - Choice Sleazebag | Ben Affleck | Nominated |
