The Beanie Bubble

The Beanie Bubble eventually runs out of steam. The snappy pace and colorful style — so attractive at first — later become alienating, keeping nearly all the characters locked into one dimension.

The film feels like a vapid cheerleader for late-stage capitalism. It is blithely unquestioning of what the frenzy over glorified Hacky Sacks actually tells us about society.

Zach Galifianakis captures the narcissism of Chicago’s Ty Warner.

This could have been a cute movie about toys, or a dazzling drama about capitalist fads. Ultimately though, it’s a muddled effort that denies its four talented leads a chance to really entertain.