Synopsis: The U.S. government decides to go after an agri-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president turned informant Mark Whitacre.
Director:
Steven Soderbergh
Writers (WGA):
Scott Z. Burns (screenplay)
Kurt Eichenwald (book)
Release Date:
18 September 2009 (USA)
I'll see anything Damon is in and I enjoy Soderbergh when he's not doing his "experimental" thing...
PopcornTreeCt
12-30-08, 07:47 PM
I like Soderbergh, I'm down.
hardercore
12-30-08, 07:58 PM
Soderbergh -- the dude that directed Traffic, right? In.
Premise
03-11-09, 01:49 AM
I had a chance to see this tonight. I thought it was pretty funny, just think Fargo. I kept thinking about how much Matt Damon reminded me of Jerry Lundegaard. Thumbs up.
Tarantino
03-11-09, 03:47 AM
I had a chance to see this tonight. I thought it was pretty funny, just think Fargo. I kept thinking about how much Matt Damon reminded me of Jerry Lundegaard. Thumbs up.
By that description alone, I'm in.
= J
NoirFan
04-04-09, 01:40 AM
Early AICN review (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39997)
Dr Mabuse
04-05-09, 06:16 PM
I'm looking forward to this.
marty888
04-05-09, 07:16 PM
Any Soderbergh is worth my attention ..... well, as long as it doesn't have the word <i>ocean's</i> in the title, and doesn't need to be shown in two parts.
HD Trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/theinformant/hd/)
Groucho
06-30-09, 08:35 PM
That is a fantastic poster.
AnonomusBob15
06-30-09, 10:34 PM
I really dont like Matt Damon, but that is an awesome poster.
Zen Peckinpah
07-01-09, 12:52 AM
Great poster.
Also, Matt Damon looks like a pedophile who just discovered a Chuck E. Cheese's.
sauce07
07-01-09, 09:26 AM
The 40-Year-Old-Informant!
Blu Man
07-01-09, 11:17 AM
Looks funny. Watched it in HD and man the Red One is just beautiful.
Zen Peckinpah
07-02-09, 12:46 AM
"Why 0014? Because I'm twice as smart as 007!" :lol:
This could end up being one of those trailers that people talk about years from now. "That's right, CORN!" had me laughing hysterically. A definite see for me. Also, Buster is in it!
Movie itself looks like the son of Michael Clayton and The Big Lebowski.
hardercore
07-02-09, 01:16 AM
some one-sheet gems coming out in 09 so far. that's one of them. I love how this has gone from The Informant to "The Informant!".
un-
believ-
able
Superboy
07-05-09, 05:13 AM
This is seriously going to be the funniest movie of all time for people that have read the book. The book is not funny. The book is sordid and twisted, and reads like a Tom Clancy novel at times.
I saw a screening of this last night. Variety review is pretty much spot-on. Matt Damon is great in this. :up:
Goat3001
09-11-09, 11:18 AM
I always thought Matt Damon was a better comedic actor than dramatic one. I'm in.
Letterman
09-12-09, 03:51 PM
"Mr. Soderbergh, I think today's scene would be a good opportunity for me to take my shirt off."
Dr. DVD
09-12-09, 09:23 PM
Looks amusing, I'll give it a shot.
RocShemp
09-12-09, 10:03 PM
This looks great. If it is, I hope one of those onesheets becomes the BD coverart. :D:up:
NoirFan
09-14-09, 05:53 PM
Seven clips - will start playing automatically (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810035860/video/15551972)
Dr. DVD
09-14-09, 06:13 PM
The TV spots make this look hilarious. Not uproariously funny, but more low-keyed.
toddly6666
09-15-09, 02:08 AM
This movie looks like a tv episode.
Matthew Chmiel
09-18-09, 06:39 PM
Saw it this morning at a surprisingly packed matinee.
Loved every minute of it. Soderbergh did an amazing job setting the tone as more of a schizophrenic comedy and I think casting comedians (McHale, Andrew Daly, Tony Hale, Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, and the Smothers Brothers amongst many others) in roles that would've gone towards more serious actors was a step in the right foot to help achieve that tone.
The praise for Damon is spot-on and I would love to see him get an Academy Award nomination for this.
Boba Fett
09-18-09, 11:47 PM
Saw it today, great film, easily in my Top 3 for this year. The big problem is the marketing, which bills it as a smart, but zany comedy. The comedy is incredibly dry, save for a few "trailer" moments. I noticed more than one person in the theater near me had dozed off over the course of the movie, likely because it wasn't what they (I also was shocked at how dry the humor was) expected.
Suprmallet
09-18-09, 11:52 PM
This movie ultimately feels more sad than funny, as Soderbergh seems to downplay everything. Still, it's very well done and I loved catching all the people he got to fill the bit parts.
Boba Fett
09-19-09, 12:20 AM
Look's like the real Whitacre's mustache was 10x more hilarious than Damon's.
I really curious now as to what was embellished for the movie, because the overall facts of the real case sound pretty spot on with the movie.
Patman
09-19-09, 12:44 AM
Stephen Soderbergh is back with "The Informant!", starring Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, a higher-up executive/biochemist at ADM, who becomes an informant for the FBI as they build a case of price-fixing against ADM (Archer Daniels Midland).
The film is filled with Whitacre's inner thoughts throughout his adventures as an informant, most are hilarious, and some are head-scratching. The pace is breezy enough, though I have to admit to losing interest in the film by the last act as the story takes many twists and turns.
Matt Damon turns in a terrific performance, totally inhabiting the character of Whitacre, and buoyed by a good, solid supporting case, including Scott Bakula, Joel McHale. Soderbergh displays his usual level of director acumen, but the script (or real-life events) doesn't quite spin a truly engaging tale.
I'm not sure if I recall the look and feel of the 1990's as it was depicted in the film, seemed too retro to me, down to the font used in the lettering at certain spots in the film to denote locations and time/date. Plus, lots of blown out lighting in many scenes gave off an earlier timeframe to me (more like the 1970s/1980s). But since Soderbergh also lit the scenes, the film is how he wanted it to look.
I give it 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.
Robert
09-19-09, 12:48 AM
After seeing it, I am shocked that ADM allowed their name to be used in this movie.
Patman
09-19-09, 01:06 AM
After seeing it, I am shocked that ADM allowed their name to be used in this movie.
True. They should have renamed the company in the film to "DAM".
dan30oly
09-19-09, 03:47 AM
Just got back from seeing it.
Worst Movie I Have Ever Seen In The Theater.
cungar
09-19-09, 09:02 AM
Look's like the real Whitacre's mustache was 10x more hilarious than Damon's.
Pretty much looks like a mustache to me. Not sure what you find hilarious about it.
Dr. DVD
09-19-09, 09:12 AM
Just got back from seeing it.
Worst Movie I Have Ever Seen In The Theater.
Care to elaborate? What kind of movies do you like? Just making a broad statement doesn't help people who need specific reasons as to why they should or should not see the movie.
BuddhaWake
09-19-09, 09:23 AM
saw it last night but it didn't do that much for me. I thought Matt Damon was great but tht's about it. Hte lighting was akward at like someone else posted, it felt like it was more the late 70s or 80s than 1992-95. I love dark homor and dry comedy but this one just didn't deliver for me. it just fell flat. I'm also with Patman on sentiments and scoring.
FinkPish
09-19-09, 01:04 PM
I thought this movie was great, had a lot of funny moments and a lot of great performances all around. If people were going expecting a straight up comedy, which I admit could be expected with the TV ads, then you are going to be let down. There is a fair amount of corporate intrigue mixed in with Damon's work with the FBI. I thought the twists and turns in the last act were very interesting and kept my interest in a story that felt like it had finished.
Suprmallet
09-19-09, 01:40 PM
My issue was the "twists and turns" weren't really twists or turns. Once you knew that Whitacre was a habitual liar, it didn't matter what he said. Although the escalating amounts of stolen money was hilarious.
Dr. DVD
09-19-09, 02:12 PM
Saw it. I thought it was a pleasant comedy. Not an award winner or anything, though I think Damon deserves a nod. Movie kept me laughing and reminded me a lot of Adaptation in terms of all the narration. If you like low-key humor, check it out.
mdc3000
09-19-09, 03:39 PM
Really liked this one - I found the whole thing to be pretty damn funny (in that low-key humour sort of way) and thought the script was really sharp. Loved Damon's voice over stuff and the performances were great. Not a huge fan of Soderbergh's 'soft' and 'orange' look to the film, but the content more than made up for that. Well worth seeing. 4/5
dan30oly
09-19-09, 04:38 PM
Care to elaborate? What kind of movies do you like? Just making a broad statement doesn't help people who need specific reasons as to why they should or should not see the movie.
It was just a bad movie. The look and feel was all wrong. The score was just plain odd. I suppose Damon did a good job with what he was given, but the script was horribly written. However, the character of Whitacre came off as absolutely annoying with no charm at all (which is probably what he was like in reality, but for a movie you must have a likable character and he wasn't in the slightest.).
Two of my friends fell asleep halfway through the movie, the rest of us were jealous we weren't asleep. The whole experience can be summed up best when at one point of of them woke up and said "This shits still going on???"
FantasticVSDoom
09-19-09, 06:59 PM
Matt Damon was great and the beginning was great but fell apart at the end for me for the exact same reason Suprmallet posted in his spoiler... I also agree that it seemed more like it was set in an earlier time than the 90's but that didnt bother me all that much.
dan30oly
09-19-09, 07:58 PM
Matt Damon was great and the beginning was great but fell apart at the end for me for the exact same reason Suprmallet posted in his spoiler... I also agree that it seemed more like it was set in an earlier time than the 90's but that didnt bother me all that much.
The "look" of the movie seeming to be earlier in time that the 90's is one thing I can maybe forgive them for. Remember, the movie took place in IOWA I was just out there a month ago and it seemed like going back in time about 10 years (in regards to clothing styles).
bunkaroo
09-20-09, 12:10 AM
Saw this and was pretty disappointed.
I thought Damon was great, but the story and direction did very little for me. The movie felt LONG.
Ginwen
09-20-09, 01:12 AM
I got pretty bored watching this, it's sort of funny when I think about the story, but it just dragged while watching it.
bunkaroo
09-20-09, 10:32 AM
The "look" of the movie seeming to be earlier in time that the 90's is one thing I can maybe forgive them for. Remember, the movie took place in IOWA I was just out there a month ago and it seemed like going back in time about 10 years (in regards to clothing styles).
Pretty sure it took place in Illinois. But yeah, when you're not in the Chicago area, it might as well be something like Iowa.
Another minor thing - those of you from IL can chime in. I do not believe we had the blue and white plates with red lettering yet in 1992, yet these were on the cars. Not sure if they went out of their way to be accurate on other details, but this was something I noticed right away.
golden_rod
09-20-09, 01:12 PM
I loved it. Damon is one funny dude. However, I seriously would have rethought the music. The tone and the performances were funny enough, they would have carried the movie with only minimal music. It was far too whimsical and intrusive in many scenes to the point of distraction; almost as if it was giving the audience the cue to laugh.
Dr. DVD
09-20-09, 02:44 PM
The "look" of the movie seeming to be earlier in time that the 90's is one thing I can maybe forgive them for. Remember, the movie took place in IOWA I was just out there a month ago and it seemed like going back in time about 10 years (in regards to clothing styles).
If you've ever been out to the mid-western area and it isn't Chicago or St. Louis, you pretty much step back ten years in time.
Brent L
09-20-09, 07:47 PM
I saw this earlier in a back-to-back shot with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I don't think I've ever loved a film so much, that seemed so long. I really liked this one, but I did check my watch a few times because it just felt soooooooooo long. If I had looked at my watch and see that it was three hours long or more I wouldn't have been shocked. I've never liked a movie where I felt that way during it, but I did here.
That said, as much as I liked this one, I think I enjoyed CWACOM even more. :lol:
By the way, am I crazy for thinking that Scott Bakula looked an awful lot like Ronald Reagan throughout the movie, especially when he sorta was squinting his eyes in a lot of scenes? I couldn't believe it, I can't be the only one who noticed that.
dan30oly
09-20-09, 08:05 PM
I'm seriously perplexed by why anyone would like, or even love this movie.
The only other movie I have ever hated as much as this was Magnolia.
I'm kinda curious if the same people that liked/love The Informant are also Magnolia fans.
Groucho
09-20-09, 08:16 PM
:shrug: Not every movie can be the masterpiece that The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is. But hey, at least this one had Biff Tannen AND the Smothers Brothers.
FinkPish
09-20-09, 08:53 PM
I'm seriously perplexed by why anyone would like, or even love this movie.
The only other movie I have ever hated as much as this was Magnolia.
I'm kinda curious if the same people that liked/love The Informant are also Magnolia fans.
I'm perplexed by your outright hatred of this film and why you seem determined to make sure everyone hates it as much as you. I can see why it might not be your cup of tea, but to hate it at the level you obviously do is confusing.
I wonder if your expectations were skewed to begin with, or if you went in the wrong mood for this kind of film, or if you just didn't understand what the film was trying to do. Were you expecting a straight up doofy comedy, Adam Sandler style?
You mentioned that Damon's character had no charm; I didn't see that at all. And you don't have to have a likable character for a movie to be successful. I thought Damon's character was likable and even when he was exposed as a liar, I still was interested in him what happened to him.
Suprmallet
09-20-09, 09:12 PM
I'm seriously perplexed by why anyone would like, or even love this movie.
The only other movie I have ever hated as much as this was Magnolia.
I'm kinda curious if the same people that liked/love The Informant are also Magnolia fans.
I loathe Magnolia and cannot believe that you're at all comparing The Informant, whose opening credit sequence alone is better than all of Magnolia, to that poor excuse for a film.
RichC2
09-21-09, 09:09 AM
I loathe Magnolia and cannot believe that you're at all comparing The Informant, whose opening credit sequence alone is better than all of Magnolia, to that poor excuse for a film.
Kevin? Is that you?
mdc3000
09-21-09, 09:35 AM
I'm kinda curious if the same people that liked/love The Informant are also Magnolia fans.
I really liked The Informant! (4/5 stars) but would call Magnolia ONE OF MY FAVOURITE MOVIES OF ALL TIME. Masterpiece.
Solid Snake PAC
09-21-09, 09:43 AM
I'm seriously perplexed by why anyone would like, or even love this movie.
The only other movie I have ever hated as much as this was Magnolia.
I'm kinda curious if the same people that liked/love The Informant are also Magnolia fans.
I've never seen Magnolia (nor have I seen the Informant), though one day I will, but...aren't you the guy that had awesomely shitty taste in movies from a while back? I think you really liked Paul Blart...liked as in..as it's a good movie kind of like.
Giles
09-21-09, 10:50 AM
I thought this was great! I especially enjoyed the music score from Marvin Hamlisch - it was bouncy and infectious.
question: I couldn't tell if was watching a bad 35mm print or not, but I saw this at the Uptown and it can be hit or miss. The print looked like the film was shot through cheese cloth, whites bloomed and for a film that was shot with 4K Red One cameras, the image on the large Uptown screen looked like 16mm - has anyone seen this in DLP or digital projection caused the cinematography looked devoid of clarity and heavy on the brown color palette.
MBoyd
09-21-09, 11:01 AM
I thought this was great! I especially enjoyed the music score from Marvin Hamlisch - it was bouncy and infectious.
question: I couldn't tell if was watching a bad 35mm print or not, but I saw this at the Uptown and it can be hit or miss. The print looked like the film was shot through cheese cloth, whites bloomed and for a film that was shot with 4K Red One cameras, the image on the large Uptown screen looked like 16mm - has anyone seen this in DLP or digital projection caused the cinematography looked devoid of clarity and heavy on the brown color palette.
I didn't think it looked very nice either and our screen was rather small. Sort of faded looking, but Soderbergh always shoots stuff weird I guess. Or it's post processing. I just thought it screamed video same as Public Enemies did. But this is a case where it works for me.
As for Marvin Hamlisch - I liked the score, but it did take me out of the film a lot. I thought I heard some music reminiscent of Bond a couple of times.
4/5 for me too. Good addition to the Soderbergh oeuvre.
DVD Josh
09-21-09, 11:18 AM
I loathe Magnolia and cannot believe that you're at all comparing The Informant, whose opening credit sequence alone is better than all of Magnolia, to that poor excuse for a film.
Line of the year.
Giles
09-21-09, 11:39 AM
I didn't think it looked very nice either and our screen was rather small. Sort of faded looking, but Soderbergh always shoots stuff weird I guess. Or it's post processing. I just thought it screamed video same as Public Enemies did. But this is a case where it works for me.
As for Marvin Hamlisch - I liked the score, but it did take me out of the film a lot. I thought I heard some music reminiscent of Bond a couple of times.
4/5 for me too. Good addition to the Soderbergh oeuvre.
I think there might been some color manipulation during the DI process.
My friend was upset that the movie wasn't in 2.35, since wide movies really curve on the Uptown's massive 75 foot screen.
My 'older' (over fifty) friend didn't know who Hamlisch was - I kind of looked at him dumbfounded and a tad perplexed that he had no idea who he was.
Groucho
09-21-09, 11:55 AM
Can anybody figure out why this was "R"? The MPAA says "Language" but I don't remember anything that was that bad.
FinkPish
09-21-09, 12:56 PM
More than one "fuck" and the MPAA slaps an R on anything.
Groucho
09-21-09, 01:00 PM
I don't remember any, but I thought you were allotted three. Maybe I'm desensitized by "Deadwood", but the language in this film was pretty tame.
BravesMG
09-21-09, 01:15 PM
It's insane, but there were a few 'fucks' spread around. I remember a 'motherfucker' and realized it had to be R, but I didn't know going in.
FantasticVSDoom
09-21-09, 01:20 PM
You can count me in as another who liked this and couldnt stand Magnolia... So I guess that theory is shot down.
cungar
09-21-09, 01:38 PM
More than one "fuck" and the MPAA slaps an R on anything.
Most kids probably here the word fuck 5 times between getting out of their car and sitting down in the theater. But hearring it on screen is going to damage them.
orangecrush
09-21-09, 02:07 PM
More than one "fuck" and the MPAA slaps an R on anything.Without those few swears, it would have been G (according to my memory). The situation reminds me of Waiting for Guffman (though that movie only had 2 F words).
NoirFan
09-21-09, 06:13 PM
So I guess that theory is shot down.
It wasn't much of a theory to begin with.
dan30oly
09-21-09, 08:01 PM
You can count me in as another who liked this and couldnt stand Magnolia... So I guess that theory is shot down.
Fair enough.
It wasn't much of a theory to begin with.
You're right, I was kinda just curious to see if there was any correlation.
SomethingMore
09-21-09, 08:15 PM
How would you guys compare this to Schizopolis?
Suprmallet
09-22-09, 02:12 AM
Other than the fact that Soderbergh made both, I wouldn't compare them.
SomethingMore
09-23-09, 04:17 PM
I see. I thought I read that it was comparable in style for some reason. Oh well, I'll still see it (eventually).
Zen Peckinpah
09-25-09, 01:14 AM
Saw it tonight for my birthday, hilarious stuff. It's staged like The Conversation or Michael Clayton and executed like the special-ed version of those movies, and Damon's performance, holy shit he killed in this movie. Every off-topic voiceover, lie, and/or stupid thing he did was priceless. Scott Bakula needs more work, guy had brilliant timing in this. Extra credit to getting Buster Bluth, Biff Tannen, and the Kurgan for supporting roles. And Patton Oswalt.
The adoption "story" :lol:
I knew I'd like this movie from the opening credits, and as soon as I saw that screamingly awful early 90's family photo.
The Bus
09-25-09, 10:31 AM
I see. I thought I read that it was comparable in style for some reason. Oh well, I'll still see it (eventually).
In a way, it sort of is. The Informant! has some low-grade schizophrenia running through its stylistic choices, combining 60s title fonts, 70s colors, 00s digital photography, 80s costuming, and 50s music.... all for a movie set in the 90s. But it plays much, much safer than Schizopolis for everything else.
SoSpacey
09-25-09, 02:24 PM
Saw this Wednesday and thought it was okay at best. Amusing at times and kept some of my interest. I am starting to feel like I should wait for movies to come out on DVD since I just haven't seen anything in the theater that I have loved lately.
ben12
09-25-09, 03:00 PM
For those of you that read the book, were the narrations about the polar bears covering their nose and the butterfly mimics in the book? Were there other biology-based monologues? I'd love to pull excerpts out and use them on exams (I teach college biology).
macnorton
10-07-09, 09:48 AM
Saw this last night and it was fantastic...a lot like the book. Damon is the best part of this (and the strange irony is how accurate he is to the character), but it was entertaining for me.
For those interested, check out the show "The Fix Is In" from This American Life:
Buy: