The story focuses not on the details of one of the world’s largest Ponzi schemes, but on the tragic impact of Bernie Madoff’s (Robert De Nero, engaging, as usual) actions on his family; his two sons were part of the Madoff businesses, and his wife (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) appeared not to know too much about how the couple went from (almost) rags to great financial wealth, but it’s never made clear in the story — as in real life — how much the sons knew or suspected about their father’s fraud. De Niro’s performance is the centerpiece of the film and is the key to holding it together.
