Drew's

Date Reviewed	10/16/2009
Title	The Informant!
Rating
Directed By :	Steven Soderbergh
Starring :	Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel Mchale, Melanie Lynskey, Patton Oswalt, Tom Papa and Rick Overton
Review	Matt Damon packs on the pounds as Mark Whitacre, vice president of an agri-business company. He sports a cheesy western mustache as a conflicted man that talks way too much for his own or anyone’s good. He’s an expert on the technical side as he learns the business side of his place of employment. He decides to blow the whistle on his own company to make himself appear like the hero as he hopes to take over the highest vacant position. Mark’s the sort of American bullshitter that expects to at least keep his job as he throws his work colleagues under the bus. He turns from intelligent science guy to “The Informant!” Director Steven Soderbergh is perceived as a test director that supports his film experiments from prior earnings and the “Ocean’s Eleven” franchise monies. He first achieved public notice from his late 1980s voyeur flick “Sex, Lies & Videotape.” He’s created many duds in my opinion from “The Girlfriend Experience”, “Full Frontal” and “Solaris.” What he does with “The Informant!” is curiously awkward, but highly contagious. He shoots this film taking place in the early 1990s with a 1950s tone. Melanie Lynskey plays Mark’s wife Ginger as a cutesy voiced soft spoken Susie Homemaker. She’s the sort that trusts and believes her husband no matter what the evidence supports. Soderbergh is excellent hiding the real deal here. He builds anticipation since Mark Whitacre is a challenging character study. He gives everyone the impression that his word is authentic. Whitacre’s pleasant, well spoken and looks like a typical mid-western golf dad. He’s fascinated by products along with cost as several narrative thoughts are expressed during his loud inner voice. The last film I can recall doing a terrific job taking you one path only to shift the opposite direction is “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” starring Audrey Tautou. The similarity correlates with how the filmmaker leads its audience to think. The difference is that “The Informant!” digs a deeper hole as “He Loves Me” is far less subtle but extremely effective. “The Informant!” isn’t sure if it’s more of a drama, comedy or comedy of errors in judgment. Matt Damon is as good as the best umpire on the field. You don’t realize how great of a performance this is until you’ve already returned home on your couch reflecting on the presentation. The casting folks hire many comedians like Tom Papa. Joel McHale, Patton Oswalt and Paul F. Tompkins while using them in serious roles. It’s a film that has an original feel to it with a quirky sense of nostalgia. This picture just about snuck in and out of theatres without being noticed. It’s a tattle tale’s tale that’s certainly worth the view. Drew's Reviews, copyright 2009, Drewsmoviereviews.com, property of Drew Bean.