Steven Soderbergh’s latest film is the comical farce, The Informant! (R). Based on actual events, Matt Damon stars as a VP of an agricultural business who creates quite a mess involving his company and the FBI. Melanie Lyndskey, Scott Bakula and Joel McHale co-star in the movie.
Ryan: The Informant is one of those movies that isn’t necessarily going to blow moviegoers away but it is a well-made movie that is genuinely entertaining. It’s a film —and I don’t mean this in a negative way—that has the feel of a made-for-TV-movie so consequently it’s a movie with a low-key sensibility. It isn’t flashy but it’s a well-told story presented in a satisfying manner.
Andy: The made-for-TV-movie comparison is an apt one, but it should be clear that this is done intentionally. Soderbergh is still one of the most talented directors out there, and he definitely gives the film a goofy feel that helps paint our image of Damon’s character. What may turn off some moviegoers is that the movie isn’t consistently laugh-out-loud funny even though it plays like a comedy. That dance between serious subject matter and comedic attitude can leave the audience unsure of how they should feel.
Ryan: Steven Soderbergh has had an interesting career since scoring his Oscar for 2000’s Traffic. Soderbergh has always done his own thing but in this decade he’s made an even more concerted effort to make the kind of films that he wants to make. His efforts have included some misses (Full Frontal and The Good German) but there’s no denying that he’s still one of the more talented filmmakers currently working. If anything, The Informant shows that Soderbergh can take a literal, unconventional story and create a movie that fits the atypical tone of the story and of the characters involved.
Andy: Not surprisingly, Matt Damon does an outstanding job as the goofy, deceptive lead character. Much has been made about his weight gain and mustache for this role, but it’s really all about his earnest mixture of intelligence, ability, and naivety that propels the character and therefore the entire movie. I found the movie interesting and entertaining, but without Damon’s performance it would have been neither of these things.
Ryan: Matt Damon really pulls off an impressive performance in this movie. At the core, the character that Damon plays is quite despicable. But he plays him with such an oblivious charm that one is drawn to him to the degree that one just wants to see what his character will do next. His character does so many asinine things in the film that it’s hard to not keep interested in his next move. Props to Damon for adding a degree of comedy to his resume.
Andy: Another intriguing aspect of the movie is that it is in some ways a period piece. The movie takes place in the mid 1990s, a time that is still fresh in America’s conscience, even though it is now 15 years ago. Seeing the sinister nature of the corporate culture and the flailing attempts of the FBI to get a handle on it are at times amusing, but it also forces us to ask ourselves if any of that has changed in the past 15 years.
The Informant! is a well crafted movie that does not wow the audience, but does adequately entertain. Final grade: B.
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