Hollywood currently loves outsider origin stories behind iconic '80s and '90s brands: witness the cheerful celebratory vibes of Air, Flamin’ Hot, Tetris… But this twisty, often hilarious takedown of tycoon Ty Warner’s Beanie Babies empire takes a different tack, cleverly building into a comic cautionary tale about the plush-toy investment craze that stoked '90s consumer greed to billion-dollar heights.
First-time directors Kristin Gore (who also scripted) and Damian Kulash frame one man’s American Dream as three woman’s nightmare, as co-founder Robbie (a deliciously tough Elizabeth Banks), online-marketing pioneer Maya (perky Geraldine Viswanathan), and single mum Sheila (an understated Sarah Snook) get swept up by Zach Galifianakis’ Warner, a success-hungry narcissist.
