Welcome
to the infamous "boiler room" - where twentysomething
millionaires are made overnight. Here, in the inner sanctum of a
fly-by-night brokerage firm, hyper-aggressive young stockjocks
peddle to unsuspecting buyers over the phone - and are rewarded with
mansions, Ferraris and more luxury toys than they know what to do
with. In this unassuming Long Island enclave, Gen Xers chase the
green at breakneck speeds, sometimes one step ahead of the law.
19
year-old college drop-out Seth Davis has just joined the inner
circle of the boiler room boys - fired-up young men who get off on
the adrenaline rush, the silver-tongued lingo, the ego boost of
finagling hard sales for outrageous commissions. Seth wants to earn
just two things in life: a million dollars and his perpetually
disappointed fatherīs respect. After failing to do either one by
running an illicit casino out of his Queens apartment, Seth has
decided to go legit by joining the only brokerage firm that promises
him a fast road to the top.
At
first the boiler room seems the perfect way to ride the monster
economic wave of the '90s to riches, success and parental approval.
Seth sports a suit and tie, works extreme hours and passes the
stockbroker exams with record scores. Heīs fast on his feet, has a
sharp cold-calling style and it seems as if his bank account - and
his worth as a good son - are about to rise.
Soon
Seth is hanging out with his boiler room buddies including Chris, a
millionaire broker whose mouth is as fast as his money, and Greg,
Sethīs arrogant and envious mentor. He even begins to date the firmīs
receptionist, Debbie. And like everyone there, he feeds on the greed
and fear of unsuspecting investors, selling them stocks they never
wanted.
But
as Seth watches his colleagues get richer and his customers get
poorer, he begins to wonder just what makes the money go round at
the Boiler Room. His insatiable curiosity leads to a series of fatal
choices and a Federal investigation that brings him to the brink of
losing everything - not just his friends, his job and the millions
promised him, but his father. The longer Seth stays in the boiler
room, the more things begin to heat up.
Boiler
Room is a riveting expose of one of the biggest and most
lucrative scams in American history - and a dramatic look at a
generation obsessed with the speed of wealth and success.
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