A showcase for Matt Damon's talents, but a dramatically confused film.
The Informant! (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:193
Fresh:148
Rotten:45
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: A charismatic turn by star Matt Damon and a consistently ironic tone boost this quietly funny satire about a corporate whistle-blower.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Sep 18, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $33,278,731
Synopsis:
What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre (Matt Damon) suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company's...
What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre (Matt Damon) suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company's multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion. But before all that can happen, the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent.
Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasn't been quite so forthcoming about helping himself to the corporate coffers. Whitacre's ever-changing account frustrates the agents (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) and threatens the case against ADM as it becomes almost impossible to decipher what is real and what is the product of Whitacre's active imagination.
Academy Award® winner Matt Damon ("Good Will Hunting," the "Bourne" movies) stars in "The Informant!," based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history. The film also stars Scott Bakula, Joel McHale and Melanie Lynskey.
"The Informant!" is directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic") from a screenplay by Scott Z. Burns, based on the book The Informant (A True Story), written by Kurt Eichenwald. The film is produced by Gregory Jacobs, Jennifer Fox, Michael Jaffe, Howard Braunstein and Kurt Eichenwald. George Clooney, Jeff Skoll and Michael London served as executive producers, with Michael Polaire co-producing.
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes production designer Doug Meerdink, editor Stephen Mirrione and costume designer Shoshana Rubin. The music is by multiple Oscar® winner and nominee Marvin Hamlisch ("The Sting," "The Way We Were").
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Participant Media and Groundswell Productions, a Section Eight-Jaffe/Braunstein Enterprise, "The Informant!" --© Warner Bros
Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey
Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey, Tony Hale, Thomas F. Wilson, Rick Overton, Tom Papa, Adam Paul, Paul F. Tompkins, Clancy Brown, Patton Oswalt
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns
Producer: Gregory Jacobs, Jennifer Fox, Howard Braunstein, Kurt Eichenwald
Composer: Marvin Hamlisch
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for The Informant!
A smart movie about being dumb. Very funny and well-acted. Enjoyed from start to finish! Paul Chambers, CNN.
Visual and narrative punchlines strike flawlessly like the absurdist humor of a Bugs Bunny cartoon...
The Informant!'s capacity to acknowledge both the malign and the good natured sides of this tragic individual makes it an absorbing tale.
Director Steven Soderbergh is desperate to make us laugh, but can only make Matt Damon podgy and bland in this underwhelming and unfunny tale of deception and whistleblowers in the food industry.
It's like being told lies for an hour and a half. And I'm just not into that.
You never know where you stand with Steven Soderbergh, but you cannot accuse him of resting on his laurels -- or making the same film twice.
Damon transforms better than many of his A-list peers, and his Mark makeover is the reason to see The Informant!
A very entertaining and densely layered comedy for grown-ups with attention spans.
Hilarious and intriguing -- Matt Damon's convincing performance reveals the many layers of this true story.
I was laughing readily at the very oddity of this presentation and the comedy in general, and it also helps quite a bit that Damon does a fantastic job playing this strange character.
It isn't until the third act that we really get to grips with the whole scenario enough to ride it like a theme park adventure
The adaptation of Kurt Eichenwald's book is as smooth as silk in Steven Soderbergh's hands while Matt Damon is a revelation as the self-professed 'good guy' who spills the beans
It's certainly a novel approach, but it stops the story engaging us either as an espionage thriller or as a comic caper.
It sets out to be less pompous than similar films, which inevitably means it feels less substantial. While amusing rather than hilarious, it ought to establish Matt Damon as a star character actor.
It may come across like a self-satisfied madcap bauble, but that titular exclamation mark is the key that unlocks the myriad subtextual delights of Soderbergh’s timely latest.
Latest News for The Informant!
September 18, 2009:
Scott Bakula Talks The Informant! ![]()
He's currently in "The Informant!" but Collider had plenty of other stuff to ask Scott Bakula about during their interview -- including, of course, his stint on "Quantum Leap." More...
September 17, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Jennifer's Body Is Hot, But The Movie Isn't
This week at the movies, we've got a possessed student body (Jennifer's Body, starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried); an oddball snitch (The Informant!, starring Matt Damon and... More...
September 09, 2009:
click for trailer and preview ![]()
More...
July 12, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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|---|---|---|
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