Ben McKenzie’s documentary Everyone Is Lying To You For Money traces crypto’s rise to the broken trust left after the 2008 financial crisis, then zeroes in on the exchange executives and celebrities who helped sell the idea—while warning that stablecoins aren’
In a 2021 Super Bowl ad, Matt Damon walks through a hall of human achievement and delivers a line with unmistakable weight: “Fortune favours the brave.” The crypto.com logo flashes on screen as the message lands hard—history is within reach, and the risks are something to dismiss.
Ben McKenzie says that moment is what made him lose it.
In his documentary Everyone Is Lying To You For Money. McKenzie is shown on his couch in shock at what he’s seen on TV. The film follows his own path—from actor with an economics degree. whose breakout came with teen drama The O.C. to one of the most outspoken voices on what he views as the grifters of the cryptocurrency world. He narrates with a light-hearted tone and a streak of self-deprecation, even as his subject matter turns increasingly damning. McKenzie’s bafflement is central: the excitement, and the appetite, around what he believes is a total scam.
The documentary lays out crypto’s rise over the past decade and roots it in what McKenzie frames as a deep loss of trust after the 2008 financial crisis. For him. crypto didn’t emerge in a vacuum; it grew in an atmosphere where people were already primed to believe promises that sound like they can make the future happen quickly.
He then goes after the people who ran the pitch.
McKenzie interviews figures he portrays as running crypto exchanges and focuses on how several major names in the industry received prison sentences for financial crimes. The film includes Alexander Mashinsky. the former CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius. and Sam Bankman-Fried. founder of the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange—what McKenzie calls the industry’s ultimate cautionary tale.
Hollywood, too, comes under his scrutiny. McKenzie takes aim at Hollywood elites who he says promote cryptocurrencies they don’t understand. His tone stays sharply human when he turns to ordinary people—those who lost big on crypto investments but still appear convinced it’s the money of the future.
After the screening, McKenzie summed up his position in a Q&A: “Not only is crypto not the future of money; it’s the past, and one that we revisit at our peril.”
In the movie, he argues there’s nothing new in the pattern. Scams, he says, have existed since money was invented, and people have been falling for them for as long as money itself has existed.
He also targets the language used to sell the product. In the documentary. McKenzie says there’s a “linguistic lie” behind the marketing—what he calls “the story of the selling of an idea.” He points directly at the term “stablecoins. ” arguing that they aren’t stable because their value fluctuates. He also challenges the claim of true decentralisation. saying these currencies are not truly decentralised—they’re just not centrally regulated.
For McKenzie, the core is simple and blunt: “There’s no asset there, it’s lines of code.”
When McKenzie speaks in person, his disdain for the lies behind cryptocurrency is visible. But he also shows something that surprised a viewer: he’s willing to call out fellow actors for their role in promoting crypto.
Damon, he suggests, comes in for particular attention. Asked whether he’s heard from Damon since the film premiered. McKenzie responded. “No. I haven’t heard from him. but a while back I saw him on the street in Brooklyn and went like this. ” he said. hanging his head down. pulling down an imaginary cap and sunglasses. “Sorry, Matt,” he joked.
Everyone Is Lying To You For Money is on limited release in the US, and it is scheduled to come to the UK later this year.
Ben McKenzie Everyone Is Lying To You For Money crypto scandals Matt Damon crypto.com Super Bowl 2021 ad Alexander Mashinsky Celsius Sam Bankman-Fried FTX stablecoins fraud documentaries
So it’s just another crypto takedown. Cool.
I mean, Matt Damon saying “brave” doesn’t automatically mean it’s a scam though. Like stablecoins aren’t supposed to be the risky part? Not sure I’m following. Ben McKenzie lost it seeing a Super Bowl ad? Sounds dramatic.
Prison sentences for exchange guys doesn’t mean all crypto is fake. That’s like blaming all banks because of 1 guy. Also 2008 made people “primed”?? kinda stretching. I watched the trailer and it feels like a hit piece with a story beat.
Everyone is lying to you for money… yeah no kidding. But aren’t stablecoins like, backed by the government or something? I keep hearing different things like they’re safer and then not safer. And I saw that crypto.com logo too like the ad made it look legit, so now I’m just confused. Prison sentences are wild though, so maybe it really was grifts the whole time. Also 2008 was a recession, not “crypto’s fault” like come on.