Stock brokers are a strange breed of people. They’re typically white, macho males who revel in the sense of power the stock market gives them.

They chase the American dream of upward mobility, trying to make a quick buck and gain all the material items, fast cars and fancy suits that will supposedly make them happy.

The twenty-something stock brokers in “Boiler Room” fit the stereotype to a tee. They’re raging workaholics who detach themselves from reality, instead living in pursuit of the almighty buck.

Most of the characters come off as shallow people, but the lead role of Seth Davis, played by Giovanni Ribisi, serves as the one character with whom we can identify.

In essence, “Boiler Room” condemns the pitfalls of big business, when innocent everyday business leads to unethical gorging and greediness.

Teeming with aesthetically pleasing shots of New York City and a killer rap soundtrack that matches the fast pace of the business world perfectly, the film’s story moves along at an interesting pace.

Seth Davis (Ribisi) is a dropout college student who moonlights as a casino owner. He deals cards out of his house, running an illegal gambling room while hoodwinking his parents into thinking he’s still going to school.

When his folks find out he’s dropped out, Seth is stuck with wanting to please his parents and prove to them he actually will amount to something in life.

Along comes J.T. Marlin, a stock trading firm that consists of a staff entirely under the age of 30, most of whom are millionaires.

Seth gets sucked into the business, quickly becoming a hot-shot rookie trader and an all-star of the company.

Then he discovers J.T. Marlin’s unethical business practices. The conflict finds Seth forced to choose between material possessions and maintaining his integrity by leaving the company and exposing the controversy.

Ribisi does an excellent job of playing the outsider, and his inner monologues bring life to the script.

Jada Pinkett-Smith manages to play the tough role of one of the film’s few female characters, shining through in a memorable performance.

Portraying J.T. Marlin’s vicious corporate recruiter, Ben Affleck is stocked with more greed than Charlie Sheen in Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street.”

Ironically, one scene in “Boiler Room” depicts all the traders hanging out on a Friday night, watching “Wall Street” and reciting every word.

“Wall Street” is like the Bible for them, and they are all trained soldiers brainwashed to do their trading in a certain way.

That’s the moral to the story — don’t let yourself be controlled by the system. It’s a simple message that comes off pretty straightforwardly from the movie.

Unlike other recent films that try to capture the essence of a subculture (such as “Fight Club”), “Boiler room” doesn’t have quite so many layers.

It seemed like everything should have been tied together more cohesively into one coherent overall theme or message. While the dialogue provided by Ribisi as the narrator brought some insight, it wasn’t as deep as it could’ve been.

“Boiler Room” succeeds as a snapshot of the cut-throat personality of the stock-trading world, proving to be entertaining despite its shortcomings.

3 stars

Rating based on a 5 star scale

---

Conor Bezane is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Chicago.