A movie about the beanie baby craze of the mid-90s isn’t quite what you would expect.
“The Beanie Bubble,” written by Kristin Gore (based on the book “The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute” by Zac Bissonnette) directed by Damian Kulash, Jr., and Gore herself, played at Regal Union Square theater on Tuesday, July 18th for an advanced screening of the film.
“The Beanie Bubble” stars Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, and Geraldine Viswanathan. The film follows Ty Warner (played by Galifianakis), founder of Ty Inc., and the rise and fall of the company’s most beloved invention, beanie babies. Warner is an eccentric, power-hungry, narcissist who refuses to give credit to the women that helped fuel the considerable success of Ty Inc.
Warner’s business partner Robbie Jones (played by Banks) gets cheated out of the company when the Ty Inc. founder becomes threatened by her business strategy. Maya Kumar (played by Viswanathan), a clever college student, quickly cements her role at Ty Inc. by growing the company through modern research tools but is consistently undervalued and underpaid. Sheila Harper, the fiancé of Warner, is manipulated by his charm and false sincerity.
“The Beanie Bubble” is a testament to corporate greed. The film is funny, nostalgic, and twistedly vindictive.
“The Beanie Bubble,” premiered in select theaters Friday, July 21st, and is available to stream globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, July 28th.
