The Informant! (2009)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Scott Z Burns
Starring Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey
Release Date September 18th, 2009
Published September 17th, 2009
In Hollywood there are stars and there are actors and rarely do they exist in one. People like Tom Hanks or Paul Newman can claim both mantles. Now, after watching the new comedy The Informant! you can add Matt Damon to that select group. In The Bourne series Damon is a star. In The Informant! Damon is both star and actor as he devilishly deals laughs while melting so perfectly into his role that even his hairpiece is acting.
As Mark Whitacre Damon brings midwestern values to the razor's edge between character and caricature. His portrayal of a corporatized doofus from Decatur of Illinois comes ever so close to an unkind parody of a typical Midwesterner. Thankfully, Damon's deft touch and inexhaustible charm keep things at just the right pitch.
Mark Whitacre worked at ADM, Archer Daniels Midland, one of the leading corn processing companies in the world. He began his career as an agri-scientist before being bumped up to the office. Once out of the lab he never really seemed to acclimate to the office. He was good at accepting a paycheck but when his job is on the line Mark cracks quickly under the pressure.
Hiding it all behind a doofusy grin Mark gets himself in real deep trouble when accusations of corporate dirty tricks lead to the FBI getting involved. Scott Bakula plays the lead FBI Agent assigned to investigate, at first on behalf of ADM then eventually gathering evidence against them. Mark willingly becomes his expert witness. Sensing a chance to play spy, and buff his ego; Mark agrees to wear a wire and gather evidence that his bosses are fixing the price of corn.
The story in The Informant is based on a true story. Mark Whitacre is a real guy who indeed attempted to become a whistleblower only to end up admitting to crimes of his own. The book based on Mark's story is the inspiration for the movie and both are terrifically well told stories.
Steven Soderbergh adapted and directed The Informant! with a touch of the absurd. With a jaunty score by the great Marvin Hamlisch and a comically distracted voiceover by Damon, the oddity of The Informant! perfectly matches the oddity of Mark Whitacre whose bizarre, ever escalating absurdity is matched only by his bizarre ability to remain an affably clueless doofus.
What a remarkable performance by Damon. Truly, an Oscar worthy effort. Damon's Mark Whitacre is, if you can imagine, like a non-animated Ned Flanders from The Simpsons all eager to please pep. He can put a bright spin on almost anything and his upbeat attitude is at once charming and utterly hilarious. By the end of The Informant, Matt Damon is earning laughs with just a raise of his eyebrow.
By stocking the cast with comics Soderbergh effectively creates a funny by association meta-joke. The Informant! seems funnier just by the sight of so many funny people in the cast. It only works if you are a fan of the world of stand up comics and recognize these guys. If you do, it's an extra giddy thrill in what is already a pretty terrific movie.
Funny, smart, exceptionally well directed and featuring an Oscar level performance by Matt Damon, The Informant! is one of the best movies of the year.
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