THE INFORMANT - Reviewed!

THE INFORMANT Review:
- I really enjoyed The Informant, but it's also one of those movies that kind of leaves you feeling a bit puzzled. It's a film that, for one thing, completely defied my expectations. Not having been overly familiar with the story behind the movie, I was caught off guard by the strange twists that the movie took. And when the film ended, I was left wondering what it all meant. What whas The Informant trying to say? Was it ultimately simply a character study? Was it a cautionary tale? A parable about the ability of large mega-corporations to corrupt a well-meaning man into a white collar monster? Whatever the case may be, I think the movie lacked the proper exclamation point to really put things into the proper perspective. But I also think that it's a film well worth seeing - a fascinating look inside the mind of a man with delusions of grandeur.


The Informant tells the story of Mark Whitacre, a seemingly unassuming exec at ADM, a large company that manufactures and distributes lysine - a key chemical component for many common food products. Whitacre, a soft-spoken family man with a wife and daughter, seems to discover that ADM is conspiring with its various competitors to carry out a price fixing scheme, and at some point decides to take what he knows and blow the whistle. Whitacre begins to work as an inside man for the FBI, and helps to feed them info as they conduct an investigation into ADM's potentially shady business practices. The results, at least at first, are pretty hilarious, as the semi-bumbling Mark tries to be a white collar James Bond of sorts. Gradually though, Mark not only becomes pretty adept at spying and manipulation, but, well, we learn that he himself may not be quite what he seems.

There's no doubt - Mark Whitacre, as portrayed here, is a completely fascinating character. He's both relatable but also someone who defies expectation. Matt Damon does an excellent job here too in the lead role. He really sells all of Mark's subtle emotions and nuances. You wouldn't typically think that Matt Damon could pull off playing a pudgy, middle-aged, mustachioed bean-counter ... but I give him credit, Damon pulls it off. It's a pretty impressive turn. But ... at the same time, you can tell that the role is something of a stretch for Damon. For a lot of reasons, the obvious comparison is William H. Macy in FARGO (a movie very similar in some ways to this one), and Damon just doesn't fully inhabit the in-over-his-head everyman character like Macy did. At times, Damon will drop his you-betcha accent and start talking more like Jason Bourne. And at times, his composure seems to shift a bit and suddenly, meek Mark Whitacre looks more like Matt Damon: leading man. I guess what I'm saying is that Matt Damon 90% nails this part, but there are definitely moments of slippage, where you can tell he is kind of stretching to stay fully in character.

One thing I really loved about The Informant though: the supporting cast. Director Steven Soderbergh has assembled a really fun group of actors here. These are all people who are fan-favorites, who are the type of people who don't appear often enough in big roles but who always get the job done. I mean, Scott Bakula of all people is in a large role here as the lead FBI agent working with Whitacre. And why not? I'm sure the studio could have paid five times as much to get Dennis Quaid or something, but Bakula is a very capable actor for this kind of role. I really enjoyed seeing him get such a prominent part and doing so well with it. All kinds of other cool actors turn up. Scott Adsit from 30 Rock. Joel McHale, in a nice turn as Bakula's weary FBI partner. Clancy Brown (!) as a hard-nosed attorney. Tom Papa as a smarmy ADM exec. Tony Hale from Arrested Development as Whitactre's lawyer. Patton Oswalt! The Smothers Brothers! Like I said, the cast is overflowing with these sort of lower-profile yet still-awesome actors. It's the kind of casting that makes you realize how lame (and unnecessarily pricey) so much Hollywood casting really is. I mean, Clancy Brown should basically be in every movie (I'm still waiting for him to show up again on LOST!).
Getting back to Matt Damon for a second though, I don't know, I guess my slight frustration with his character is that the script tries to both put us inside his head AND keep him mysterious to some degree. Throughout the movie, we hear snippets of Whitacre's running internal monologue - his comically well-reasoned observations and random theories. We are, literally, inside of his head. And yet, we keep getting these revelations about Whitacre's true nature, and by the end of the movie, we realize we never really got to know anything about the guy. Again, it's that strange feeling of emptiness I alluded to earlier. As in, we spent so much of the movie "getting to know" Mark, and yet, we eventually realize he is, in the end, a pretty baffling person. Again, there is never quite that "aha!" moment or true exclamation point.

But while the movie might have some big-picture issues, scene to scene it is incredibly sharp and witty. The sense of fun and absurdity just keeps escalating as the movie goes on. And there really is some great humor here - if nothing else, Damon has some great coming timing and really sells a lot of the subtle humor. Steven Soderburgh, meanwhile, directs the movie in a very understated, matter-of-fact manner. It places the focus on the script - a wise thing to do given the strong dialogue and character work.

I don't think The Informant ever quite reaches the sublime comic-tragic heights of, say, Fargo. But I do think it's a pretty fun and even fascinating movie in its own right, a small-scale but very thought-provoking and enjoyable movie, that makes for an interesting addition to the Soderbergh portfolio.

My Grade: B+