Boiler Room (2000)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lucas M

  
  Good screenplay and good actings.

• moon r

  
  Illegal stock trading, Gekko style, reheated with a young cast. Noteworthy performances by Ribisi, Long, Affleck and Rifkin carry a rough script and direction that favors lots of jump cuts.

• Albert K

  
  fun B-movie material

• Lewis C

  
  "There is no question whether or not you'll become a millionaire here. The only question is how many times over." Quite frankly, I expected this to be absolute crap. I'm not much of a fan any of the cast, I'm not familiar with the director, and the premise… More
  "There is no question whether or not you'll become a millionaire here. The only question is how many times over." Quite frankly, I expected this to be absolute crap. I'm not much of a fan any of the cast, I'm not familiar with the director, and the premise sounded like a bad television movie. But Boiler Room turned out to be a fairly entertaining Gen-X spin on flashy, corrupt stockbrokers. The main character Seth (Giovanni Ribisi) is a smart guy, but college isn't really for him. He drops out to run a successful illegal casino from his apartment. But when an old friend offers him an opportunity to work for a lesser known, maverick trading company, Seth jumps at the chance to make a lot of money legitimately, and possibly repair his strained relationship with his father, as a result. But, while Seth's natural talent for selling makes him a rising star at the firm, he slowly finds out that his new employer may not be quite so legitimate, after all. The story is pretty ridiculous, and it's portrayal of stock trading is more entertaining than realistic. But hey, it's a movie, not a documentary. The supposed party-lives of the hotshot young brokers are a little over the top (shooting dice, really?), and the relationship between Seth and Abby (Nia Long) is undercooked and seems to not have much significance within the plot, but his interactions with his stern, disapproving father (Ron Rifkin) are much more resonant. Boiler Room name-checks Glengarry Glen Ross and Wall Street, but it's not quite up to the challenge of being a more recent version of those movies. It is a decent rise-and-fall kind of flick, though, and when it plays fast and loose with its subject matter, it all sort of works.

• Wahida K

  
  Anyone who says that money is the root to all evil, doesn't have it.

• Anthony L

  
  The new Brat pack do "Wall Street". If I'd have read that I would have given it a miss but it?s actually quite good!

• Aaron N

  
  Jim Young: Anybody who tells you money is the root of all evil doesn't fucking have any. Giovanni Ribisi, among others, stars as Seth a bright kid who has had the problem in dropping out of college, instead doing some work out of his own house with a small gambling ring. With… More
  Jim Young: Anybody who tells you money is the root of all evil doesn't fucking have any. Giovanni Ribisi, among others, stars as Seth a bright kid who has had the problem in dropping out of college, instead doing some work out of his own house with a small gambling ring. With his father, played by Ron Rifkin, very much disapproving of this, Seth manages to get himself a job at a suburban investment firm. It gets him some good cash, but things may not be too legit. Working with Seth, you have Nicky Katt as the feisty veteran, a Tom Everett Scott who is a little too confident (performance wise) as a lead broker, Jamie Kennedy. Scott Caan, Ben Affleck trying to channel Alec Baldwin in Glengary Glenn Ross and managing to at least swear the right way, and Vin Diesel as a tough but overall good guy. Nia Long also shows up as an assistant/love interest. Its a younger update of Wallstreet, which the characters in the film know by heart. It works at being solid and engaging. This is due mainly to the work of Ribisi in the lead role and Diesel. Diesel is just really good in this movie and along with Pitch Black, which came out a week before this originally did, he was easily doing some of his best work at this time, which is something I wish could have continued on. I also really enjoyed the urban soundtrack in this flick. This movie is certainly set in the gritty city, with the old rags to riches theme running throughout, and the film has a good feel as to how it handles this. Enjoyable, with a solid cast. Greg Weinstein: Hang up. Hang up the phone. Seth Davis: Thank you. That's nice for you to do that for me. Greg Weinstein: First of all, there's gonna be a lot of these regardless of how good you are but you happen to suck big fat ass rhinoceros dick. Seth Davis: Well, thank you. That's confidence inspiring.

• Dan S

  
  Impressive film detailing the lives of stock brokers and the people they rip-off. Ribisi gives an impressive performance in the lead here as a college drop-out whose connections enable him to become a rising star at his firm. The rest of the cast is equally strong, with Vin Diesel,… More
  Impressive film detailing the lives of stock brokers and the people they rip-off. Ribisi gives an impressive performance in the lead here as a college drop-out whose connections enable him to become a rising star at his firm. The rest of the cast is equally strong, with Vin Diesel, Scott Caan, Ben Affleck, and Ron Rifkin giving great support. Its also unique in the way it details the life of one of Ribisi's clients, paralleling Ribisi's struggles to this guy, whose on the verge of losing everything. A fair balance of everything is what makes this film entertaining and realistic.

• Al S

  
  It's a total knockout. A hard boiled drama. Powerhouse performances all around by Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Affleck. This film is right on the money. A Wall Street for a new generation. Stylish, riveting and senational. An electrifying piece of fim. Stunning, wickedly… More
  It's a total knockout. A hard boiled drama. Powerhouse performances all around by Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Affleck. This film is right on the money. A Wall Street for a new generation. Stylish, riveting and senational. An electrifying piece of fim. Stunning, wickedly funny and outstanding.

• xGary X

  
  An interesting drama about illicit stock trading in which Giovanni Ribisi's life spirals out of control when greed and pressure from his peers takes hold in a kind of contemporary Wall Street. Vin Diesel takes time out from his action man roles, and is actually pretty damn good.

• Michael G

  
  It's okay. Like Wall Street on steroids.

• Nate Z

  
  [font=Arial][color=darkred]Reindeer Games - John Frankenheimer comes off from the heels of the incredibly exciting 'Ronin' with bar-none the BEST car chases ever to direct a muddled Holiday thriller that should've checked its release date sooner on the calendar. Affleck… More
  [font=Arial][color=darkred]Reindeer Games - John Frankenheimer comes off from the heels of the incredibly exciting 'Ronin' with bar-none the BEST car chases ever to direct a muddled Holiday thriller that should've checked its release date sooner on the calendar. Affleck plays a car theif mistaken for his prison cell mate and hijacked to teach a band of greasy diner clowns the ins and outs or casino theivin'. The performances are all adequate, though Gary Sinise as the bad trucker seems a little too 'Deliverance' to me at times. The movie permeates with the feeling all the way through that something interesting is building and will pay off, and then it just gives up and goes for a rediculous and cheap twist ending. Ehren Kruger, the man who threw pot holes of twists in 'Arlington Road' and less effectively in 'Scream 3', writes like someone finishing a deadline paper for a college class - less about characters and conflicys and more about topsy-turvy twists and double crossings. There are some brief encounters with suspense and excitement (and forgive me but the Santa imagery is kinda' nifty) but 'Reindeer Games' can never build toward whatever potential it flashed. So instead of asking why Frankenheimer would helm something like this, ask how Charlize felt doing all her topless scenes in the cold. I know I will.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Boiler Room - 'Boiler Room' is like a 'Wall Street' for the dot-com kids, hell they even have a scene where they openly quote and recite 'Glengary Glen Ross'. Giovanni Ribisi plays the son of a judge and the head of a gambling front he runs in his home that decides to cut his teeth in the world of stocks and options. 'Boiler Room' begins as an insightful and well-paced inside look toward the cut-throat world that crunches the numbers and keeps the leg of our economy afloat. I find it fascinating that a good base of our economy is based upon round table rumor and the opinions of a select few. But the brash and stirring scenes of the politics of a sell are then given up when the FBI is introduced and Gio tries to take the company out from its dirty inside. The movie then falls to the wayside of entertainment. 'Boiler Room' is a surprisingly engaging film that decides to go down the wrong path.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: B- [/color][/font]

• Fascade F

  
  Surrealistically intense performances by Ben Affleck as the hard taskmaster for a financial brokerege house. See this...performances by then up and comeing stars such as Giovanni Ribisi, Nia Long and Vin Diesel...(Yes...Vin Diesel wears a suit!!!LOL!). See this...it is good!

• Curt C

  
  It tries hard, kind of, but the dialogue is poor, and some of the drama (like the guy losing his investments) is roll-your-eyes bad.

• Sunil J

  
  Dark but good with nice acting.

• RJ M

  
  This movie makes no attempt to hide its love for Oliver Stone's Wall Street. In fact, at one point, the characters sit around watching the movie, quoting it word for word. Until a wobbly ending, the movie does succeed at showing how easy someone can be sucked in to a world that… More
  This movie makes no attempt to hide its love for Oliver Stone's Wall Street. In fact, at one point, the characters sit around watching the movie, quoting it word for word. Until a wobbly ending, the movie does succeed at showing how easy someone can be sucked in to a world that promises them a fast buck. It would help to have an understanding of the stock market, but even if you don't, you'll get the point. The cast is made up of relative unknowns, and minor character actors. Giovanni Ribisi is the central character, and he's fine in his role, but becomes incredibly annoying when he tries to be emotional. Jamie Kennedy and Vin Diesel have minor roles as chop shop stock brokers. A surprise standout is Ben Affleck. An actor of limited range, Affleck shines in his small role as a recruiter who exemplifies everything that is corruptible in the human nature.

• Ira Z

  
  Terrific movie. To begin with, this film was "tight" in terms of structure. Not only that, it gave such a gripping take on the dark side of corporate life and progressed smoothly from start to finish. You'll literally be held at the throat with just how engaging this… More
  Terrific movie. To begin with, this film was "tight" in terms of structure. Not only that, it gave such a gripping take on the dark side of corporate life and progressed smoothly from start to finish. You'll literally be held at the throat with just how engaging this well-paced movie is. Next off, the script was very well made and effectively made this film all the more convincing. Lastly, the entire cast gave such great performances, especially Giovanni Ribisi who practically outshone all of his cast members with his deeply poignant acting.

• Chosen 7

  
  Good film, great writing and acting.

• Sarah P

  
  Interesting from a bill collectors point of view - shows you definately can go too far.

• Nicky M

  
  As a salesperson, I can see a lot of normal life in this movie. It does go over the top, but that's how I understand stock trading can be. Giovanni Ribisi, Nicky Katt, and Vin Diesel put in decent performances and seem to be having fun. The movie breaks down a bit when it goes… More
  As a salesperson, I can see a lot of normal life in this movie. It does go over the top, but that's how I understand stock trading can be. Giovanni Ribisi, Nicky Katt, and Vin Diesel put in decent performances and seem to be having fun. The movie breaks down a bit when it goes off the right vs wrong of sales and into personal relationships. If you liked Glengarry Glen Ross, this is a movie to watch.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings