The Informant!
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: September 18, 2009
5.3
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 173 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
84
Mixed:
37
Negative:
52
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User scoreBy dateMost helpful
8
DeniseLSep 19, 2009
Damon is an incredible actor and I would watch the Informant again on video...Very interesting what the guy went through just to cover up one lie after the other...crazy! Can't beleive that was based on true events.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
10
StevenV.Sep 20, 2009
The beginning was pretty boring. But then when it got past 30 minutes in it was utterly hysterical and brilliant.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
8
QwertySep 20, 2009
Definitely recommended. A clever approach, deftly executed.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
7
RobSSep 23, 2009
By no means a perfect movie, I think many of the criticisms are unwarranted. Is it fast-paced? No. The story slowly moves along in the beginning, until the pace picks up in the last twenty minutes. But is it boring? Definitely not. By no means a perfect movie, I think many of the criticisms are unwarranted. Is it fast-paced? No. The story slowly moves along in the beginning, until the pace picks up in the last twenty minutes. But is it boring? Definitely not. Damon's Whitacre more than holds interest as a reflection of our constant need for validation and justification in life; even as he does more and more wrong, he still tries to justify himself as the "guy in the white hat." Damon also helps by finding a sympathetic edge in all of Mark's idiocy. Additionally, the fact that Soderbergh doesn't lose focus on ADM admist Whitacre's life falling apart is part of what helps the audience keep perspective.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
10
SS.Oct 16, 2009
Very well done. Matt Damon plays completely against type, and pulls it off.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
9
CoreyG.Oct 5, 2009
This film is great. It follow in the vein as Soderbergh's early film "Schizopolis," but simplified for more mass appeal. It's a smart comedy film, working on two levels. I suppose that's the only drawback - Some people just This film is great. It follow in the vein as Soderbergh's early film "Schizopolis," but simplified for more mass appeal. It's a smart comedy film, working on two levels. I suppose that's the only drawback - Some people just want to watch two hours of fart jokes - this isn't that film.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
10
PaulW.Sep 18, 2009
Just saw this in Toronto....an instant classic...totally hysterical!!
0 of 1 users found this helpful
9
TimH.Sep 19, 2009
A very fresh take on this story and remains true to itself throughout. A sure bet for an entertaining evening--both fun and thoughtful.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
9
PeterKSep 19, 2009
Crazy convoluted and wickedly funny tale based on a true story. Great cameos from the Smothers Brothers and a terrific soundtrack by Marvin Hamlisch make this a must-see for anyone over 40. (Catch Me If You Can is in a similar league.)
0 of 1 users found this helpful
9
ChadS.Sep 24, 2009
Those voiceovers, those digressive voiceovers: What is the moviegoer to make of them? Understanding the functionality of Mark Whitacre's non-sequitirs is what makes "The Informant" such a beguilling film to watch. Are Whitacre's Those voiceovers, those digressive voiceovers: What is the moviegoer to make of them? Understanding the functionality of Mark Whitacre's non-sequitirs is what makes "The Informant" such a beguilling film to watch. Are Whitacre's ramblings triggered by his manic-depressive condition; are his interior monologues an involuntary occurence, a voice made intrinsic by psychosis which he has no control over? Does the film side, or disagree with Whitacre supporters, who contend that their man, this convicted felon, got an unfair sentence? Did he put the ly-(lie) in lysine? Corn and its prevalence in our lives almost has a literal effect on this husband and father of three(or is that one?), an executive-turned-whistleblower who can rattle off a CORN-ucopia of facts at will, as perhaps, a quasi-semblant means of self-preservation. But what if his palaverous fact-based discourses are actually calculated flights of fancy; what if the voiceovers are a symptom of fallible narration, coded talk about money-laundering and embezzelment schemes masquerading as wide-eyed gibberish? At Whitacre's sentencing, the presiding judge can't help but roll his eyes at the ADM executive's mentioning of his own bipolar disorder, because the robed man deems this whistleblower's actions as nothing more than a case of "garden-variety greed". The judge doesn't go so far as to call Whitacre's manic depression an outright fabrication, which for him is being tactful, since he irrevocably disreputes the defense's theory of cause and effect, a viewpoint that may prove to be the same as the filmmaker's. An early scene between the bamboozled FBI agent(Scott Bakula) and Whitacre has the distinction of containing a voiceover that's incongruously appurtenant to the situation, in which the whistleblower comments on Brian's overall affability and nice guy-ness, instead of going off at a tangent on, say, high-end sushi and matadors, after his second interview. For once, he sounds introspectively thoughtful, and not like some kind of kook. Such cognizance backs up the judge's assertion that there was no crossover between Whitacre's bipolarity and his nefarious acts of capitalistic creativity.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
7
HenriMOct 11, 2009
First off, this movie is definitely not for everyone. From the hokey title, the corny 60's games show score, and the strange stream of consciousness narrative spoken my Matt Damon's character - this movie is extremely offbeat. I First off, this movie is definitely not for everyone. From the hokey title, the corny 60's games show score, and the strange stream of consciousness narrative spoken my Matt Damon's character - this movie is extremely offbeat. I saw 6 people walk out, and to be truthful I was almost one of them. But I stuck it out, and incredibly The Informant became a good movie. The performances are well done, and some of the cameos are rather amusing.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
7
WilliamB.Oct 13, 2009
Subtle, funny, a little confusing.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
8
BillySSep 18, 2009
Not Soderbergh's best film, but clearly Matt Damon's best performance of his career. He is obviously taking the Nicholson career path with his choices and The Informant should put him on Oscar's shortlist for 2009. His Not Soderbergh's best film, but clearly Matt Damon's best performance of his career. He is obviously taking the Nicholson career path with his choices and The Informant should put him on Oscar's shortlist for 2009. His narration as the movie progresses seems totally out of sync with the story, but it turns out to be the key to the whole film. Excellent, reminded me of Catch Me If You Can.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
8
williamrSep 25, 2009
A sophisticated comedy that suggests the arrival of a new style-- so smart that it passes irony and arrives at a fresh way of presenting the human. In that way it is a generation fresher than "Burn after Reading," which felt a bit arch in A sophisticated comedy that suggests the arrival of a new style-- so smart that it passes irony and arrives at a fresh way of presenting the human. In that way it is a generation fresher than "Burn after Reading," which felt a bit arch in comparison. Sometimes Soderbergh is too cerebral for me but here the story was so rich and so deftly told, and Damon's so ripe a performance that, by the time it's over-- if you give it the attention it deserves-- you will be amply rewarded.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
8
txrangersfan72Sep 19, 2010
Underrated story of bizarre corporate executive, Mark Whitacre in a story of manufactured espionage that keeps the viewer thinking throughout the entire film. Funny, dark and disturbing when one thinks of the people running corporate America.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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7
wxwaxNov 24, 2010
Years ago I worked for a guy who seemed to be a pretty good egg. Short guy, a bit of a Napolean complex. But also a bit of a swashbuckler, friendly, willing to take chances. Exciting to work for. And what stories he had about his life:Years ago I worked for a guy who seemed to be a pretty good egg. Short guy, a bit of a Napolean complex. But also a bit of a swashbuckler, friendly, willing to take chances. Exciting to work for. And what stories he had about his life: successful news director, A-7 pilot in the Air National Guard, award-winning photo-journalist. Never been fired in a business that eats its own.

Then I met the guy who'd fired him. And all his stories came crumbling down. Pretty much every one of them a pack of lies. Got so bad he tried to take me down with him when he got canned for a second time. Mark Whitacre's just like him. Whitacre's the guy whose secret tapes help make a price-fixing case against agri-giant Archer Daniels Midland. Working undercover for the FBI for two-and-a-half years, Whitacre assiduously recorded meetings with ADM's competitors at which production levels and prices were fixed. But the more the FBI learned about Whitacre the more it wondered if it was prosecuting the wrong case. Whitacre's life was a hopeless maze of lie piled upon lie. And he embezzled. A lot. In The Informant! director Steven Soderbergh's tells Whitacre's story in a style that is wry, oddly cheerful and yet deeply, deeply cynical. That Soderbergh is after bigger fish than a mere embezzler should be clear from his casting of the enormously sympathetic and likable Matt Damon as the embezzler-in-chief. Damon's uncomfortably convincing as a guy with strange energy who's spinning tales from the opening minute to the last. But Soderbergh treats him almost affectionately. Because in Soderbergh's worl, Whitacre's on the bottom rung of a ladder in which everyone's working an angle, all the way to the top. ADM, the FBI, federal prosecutors, attorneys, the media... no-one's dealing an honest hand. In a world that's so thoroughly corrupt and bumbling, Whitacre's embezzled millions begin to look like small potatoes. So it's kind of funny to watch him make them dance to his tune.

I found The Informant! to be simultaneously entertaining and alienating. There really isn't a character you truly like, except perhaps for Whitacre's eternally supportive wife, and she's a bit of a dim bulb. If the film works it's because Soderbergh refuses to bring the doom and gloom. In a world full of liars, he seems to be saying, whaddya gonna do?… Expand
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8
VidsRuleJul 18, 2012
Kinda SPOILERS unless you haven't heard anything all about the film: This is an example of the mark of a great actor: the first time you watch this, you're like : "okay" a Matt D says a bunch of stuff. But at the end of the show you find outKinda SPOILERS unless you haven't heard anything all about the film: This is an example of the mark of a great actor: the first time you watch this, you're like : "okay" a Matt D says a bunch of stuff. But at the end of the show you find out that it's all lies, so you watch it a second time and see all those times you believed him... it was OBVIOUS he's lying. HAHAHAHHHA. When you know he's lying, it's all clear when before he wasn't. I will tell you a lie right now: I am a deformation and I am determined to end the world. I was obviously lying when I told you that I am a deformation.… Expand
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8
jredekopNov 13, 2011
Quirky and witty, 'The Informant!' is a great film. Mat Damon did a great job of portraying Mark Wittaker, a man high up in a corrupt corporation. He did a great job of portraying Wittaker as a man that thought he was a lot smarter and a lotQuirky and witty, 'The Informant!' is a great film. Mat Damon did a great job of portraying Mark Wittaker, a man high up in a corrupt corporation. He did a great job of portraying Wittaker as a man that thought he was a lot smarter and a lot nobler than he actually was. The acting was fantastic, the story intriguing, and just slightly off. The only issue I had with 'The Informant!' was that the pacing slowed dramatically for the last half an hour.… Expand
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7
TokyochuchuNov 22, 2014
The Informant! is a pretty good black comedy that deals with the exploits of a compulsive liar. It's a lot of fun to see shifty Matt Damon dig himself deeper and deeper holes. Pretty hard to believe that there is actually an idiot as big asThe Informant! is a pretty good black comedy that deals with the exploits of a compulsive liar. It's a lot of fun to see shifty Matt Damon dig himself deeper and deeper holes. Pretty hard to believe that there is actually an idiot as big as this walking around in the world.… Expand
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8
LevelsAndGearDec 27, 2011
"The Informant!" One Line Review - B!

Really well acted all around, funny in a "What is happening?" way more than an obvious gag way, "The Informant!" will keep you interested and entertained. (Starring Matt Damon) -"The Informant!" One Line Review - B!

Really well acted all around, funny in a "What is happening?" way more than an obvious gag way, "The Informant!" will keep you interested and entertained. (Starring Matt Damon) - http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1200661-informant/… Expand
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7
RayzorMooseNov 16, 2013
The informant is clever!
Great writing, great acting, funny, smart, and all around good. A really well crafted comedy with an exciting concept that will leave you guessing.
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8
43in2014Aug 2, 2016
Background: This review is based on a TV-viewing.

Pros: It is a amazing and funny story of how the awful lies of a naive person ended up turning his life upside down. Cons: The film may appear dull to the younger audiences. Who wouldBackground: This review is based on a TV-viewing.

Pros: It is a amazing and funny story of how the awful lies of a naive person ended up turning his life upside down.

Cons: The film may appear dull to the younger audiences.

Who would think the film is great? Old adults.
Who would think the film is only so-so? Young adults.
Who would think the film is lousy? No one.

Rating: 4/5 (no half scores). It's worth it to watch it in the cinemas.… Expand
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8
alejandro970Jan 6, 2022
Do you believe in conspiracy theories? Think twice. An unrecognizable Matt Damon in a black comedy that, if not exactly full of surprises, comes to surprise by the unexpected twists and final act. To see a weekend afternoon.
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9
DeanomiteFeb 7, 2020
Matt Damon plays an interesting character, he is a total backstabber who does not see that he has done anything wrong. Besides, his company doesn't seem to have been doing something bad enough to turn whistleblower. Soda pop goes up aMatt Damon plays an interesting character, he is a total backstabber who does not see that he has done anything wrong. Besides, his company doesn't seem to have been doing something bad enough to turn whistleblower. Soda pop goes up a nickel, it's not life or death. He seems to lack a filter, really he is a character I relate to very deeply and shamefully. he is apparently manic depressive, and a pathological lier. Strange how successful he was, got ivy league degrees and made millions of dollars, all while being an undiagnosed manic depressive.… Expand
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7
amheretojudgeNov 13, 2019
It is wildy and deliberately misleading. You don't get that in a genre like such just like the character that doesn't fit in a film like such.

The Informant The director Steven Soderberg has been in these cases for so long. Almost a pro.It is wildy and deliberately misleading. You don't get that in a genre like such just like the character that doesn't fit in a film like such.

The Informant

The director Steven Soderberg has been in these cases for so long. Almost a pro. "Almost" is relative here for Matt Damon is the king. The Godfather. He has been here only for a day and he wins over your heart. Convinces you that he is on your side and all of that by a guy who has had an experience of only a month. And Damon's performance has received a lot of buzz for his physical transformation too. And it completely shows. The way he walks and poses and sits with an unapologetic man spreading.

Everything in every possible way he calls out for attention that is never actually not addressed. And you'd think that if something goes loud, it would collapse within a moment. But Damon knows this script through and through. The script misinforms you just like the character does, the plot does and every other aspect of the film does, Damon also changes the way his part of the contribution is usually interpreted. Tricking you is what the film wants.

Movie magic, the fooling objective of the job gets checked away smoothly. I know the film doesn't get usually mentioned, but this is one of those Soderberg films that despite its polished formal looking set pieces and the fact that it is a film about real events, it is utterly fictional. Beautifully fictional. Like some superhero comic film. Where twists and turns is part of its existence. The way it breathes. It is certainly not one of his stylish but definitely an earnest film. If this deal is to be done in a black alley. Then be it. They will make you sign it by the end of this meeting.… Expand
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7
DawdlingPoetNov 26, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a crime drama with some comedic elements to it and a surprisingly jovial tone, certainly at the start. It covers themes of power, greed and competition/one-upmanship i.e. 'dog eat dog' I suppose. You could argue that this film is a film of its time, in that was released around about 2009, when there was a bigger awareness of some of the more larger scale instances of fraudulent financial investments and moreso price fixing. When I think of those terms, companies such as Goldman Sachs and Enron come to mind. It is clearly quite a corporate focussed film, presumably based on real-life stories. I found it somehow amusing the use of chirpy, upbeat instrumental pieces of music (think jazz type sounds) played during fairly serious scenes. I felt it helped to make the film seem more of a parody - the characters seemed somehow caricatured, particularly the main character, Mark. It probably sounds a bit distasteful to have a film about such a serious topic and for it to be treated in a seemingly light hearted way but I felt that it worked relatively well. I thought it had the feel of a retro TV show, a crime detective show possibly, although it feels a bit unfair to describe this primarily as a crime drama, as pace wise it isn't the same as your average crime action film. There is little in the way of visual effects, fights and the like, if thats your bag, so to speak, then this will likely come across as slow and dull and may be best avoided. This is definitely more of a character focussed film overall.

Narration can be heard in some scenes - I presumed the narration to be by Matt Damon, who plays Mark. It gives an insight in to his way of thinking at the time, how he sees things. There is a definite naivety to his character, which makes him somewhat endearing. Its clear that he appears to be at the deep end of things, trying to juggle his job and secretly being involved with the FBI. He tries to act like he's on top of things, when he's clearly got a lot to learn. To me, Matt seemed, if anything, perhaps a bit too young to portray Mark - he seemed a little out of place somehow, although I definitely still enjoyed the film. He becomes understandably paranoid as he tries to out-guess what will happen and stay ahead of the game. Mark's personality is interesting - I'm not sure quite how to describe it, other than that he seems very basic and straight laced (even though ultimately he isn't), somehow 2D in a 3D world.

Content wise, this film features some strong language, no violence and no sex content (other than one derrogatory reference to pregnancy). Its not frightening or scary, so is unlikely to upset people and thus I presume it has its 15 rating due to the fairly strong swear words present.

The film had this feeling of artificiality present but that was mainly brought across by the mix of jaunty music played and the narration - the sense of a feeling of people being upbeat even though the situation wasn't especially optimistic. I found it somehow satisfying seeing how the plot developed, the actions of people and the sheer bravado shown by those being cornered. Sadly I can imagine that, given what has been in the news and written about in the last while, people in big business may act and feel similarly.

The film seems, visually, stylish to an extent, with dark-ish lighting used in some scenes, with a yellow tinge added, that made it seem somehow quite dated. Its unsurprising given the film is directed by Steven Soderbergh, more well known as the director of the also very stylish Oceans 11, Oceans 12 and Oceans 13 films.

There was a stronger sense of style present when, at the start of some scenes, the location and year portrayed appeared in a quite old fashioned font (don't ask me which one, I wouldn't know). It seemed to me, visually, as if it was primarily set in the 1980s, although the years quoted during the film date from the 1980s to the 1990s.

I'm not entirely sure what else to say about this - it felt like quite a clever film, although perhaps if anything it tried a bit too hard to be clever - I remember thinking that it felt very much like it was trying to be witty in a sense that didn't entirely ring true to me. I did find it quite entertaining and there were the ocassional amusing moments, although I wouldn't say its by any means a hilarious film, hence me mentioning the 'comedic elements' as the last element of the genre. The parody feel of the film is quite amusing but its not the sort of film your going to laugh out loud to really - big business and how one company out-does another isn't the sort of thing I could easily find in any way hilarious really. I suppose you could say that the term 'ascerbic wit' applies here. There is an element of sarcasm, I'd say. I feel that, ultimately, this film is a good film but certainly not by any means a great, or excellent, film, so I'll begrudgingly give this a 7 out of 10 rating on that basis.… Expand
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10
badtoobadDec 14, 2019
This film is nothing short of a masterpiece. Hilarious and quick witted I was smirking the entire time.
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