'The Big Short' comes to Congress

WASHINGTON — When members of Congress and Hollywood bigwigs get together, it’s usually for a fancy high-dollar fundraiser.

But on Wednesday, the political world and the movie industry will come together for … drumroll please …. a panel discussion on the financial crisis!

It’s more exciting than it sounds—thanks to The Big Short, Hollywood’s hilarious-yet-enraging account of how fraud in the subprime mortgage market fueled the 2008 global economic collapse.

Paramount Pictures is hosting a special screening of its Oscar-nominated hit for lawmakers on Wednesday evening in the Congressional Auditorium.

Afterwards, the movie’s director, Adam McKay, will hold a discussion on the financial crisis with four senators who are sponsoring the event, including Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, a vocal critic of Wall Street and the big banks.

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Brown said he hopes the movie will remind policymakers about the root causes of the Great Recession and the need to keep tabs on the financial industry.

“Plus,” he said, “it’s not often that you can have a discussion about collateralized debt obligations without putting people to sleep.”