One popular theme in the biographies made by Hollywood of successful businessmen in America is greediness. After all, it takes a certain kind of ambition to go from nothing to a billionaire. But what happens when that ambition turns into greed? That’s the question at the heart of The Beanie Bubble (2023), the new film on Apple TV+ about the rise and fall of Ty Warner, the man who co-founded the Beanie Babies (stuffed animal toys) empire. I found the film to be a good watch, but only enough to give it a Raw rating on the mangoidiots scale.
I liked the screenplay style, which was focused not on Ty but on the three women who supported him, and the alternating of events from the 1980s and the 1990s. The film is also notable for its strong female characters: Robbie, Sheila, and Maya who are all intelligent and capable of holding their own against Warner.
At 110 minutes, the length of the movie was fine and so was the recreation of the 1980s and the 1990s. The lead cast comprising Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks as Robbie, Sarah Snook and Geraldine Viswanathan were impressive in their roles. The film was directed by Kristin Gore (daughter of Al Gore) & Damaian Kulash Jr went briskly with little dull moments, but it progressed almost on expected lines spoiling any thrills.
Ty Warner was a man obsessed with making and selling stuffed toys but didn’t do much till his father was alive. Later, he co-created a company making and selling under-stuffed animal figure toys, which became a success. With the arrival of the Internet and auction sites like eBay, the resale market for Beanie Babies catapulted the company to unicorn (not called so in those days) status. He seemed to be a man who had a knack for identifying the talent his firm needs at every stage, courting them and getting the best from them. Sadly, he was a misogynist who uses their talents and then discards them when they were no longer needed.
The Beanie Bubble is an engaging film that offers a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed. If you have an Apple TV+ subscription check out this movie.
As Ty Warner and Robbie
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