"The Informant!" opens with a warning, notifying the audience that this isn't your average based-on-real-events docudrama. We are told that certain characters and events have been fictionalized, and this revelation is followed by two defiant words: So there. From this point, it is evident that "The Informant!" will go to the beat of its' own drum. Steven Soderbergh's latest film is the epitome of quirkiness, with every scene making a conscious effort to be offbeat. Sometimes, the quirkiness works in the film's favor, and the subtle humor zings with pitch-perfect accuracy. Other times the quirkiness evolves into a distracting self-consciousness, and this viewer was left unamused at the whole wink-wink, look-how-clever-we-can-get shenanigans of the picture. Ultimately, however, "The Informant!" works more often than not. Or does it? I was so exhilarated and puzzled by this film, I'm not sure what to think.
The story is based on events that transpired in the 1990's, but with our current economic climate, it seems ripped from today's headlines. A much doughier Matt Damon stars as Mark Whitacre, an employee at an Illinois conglomerate who is asked to blow the whistle on the company's price-fixing corruption. But in the midst of his cooperation with the FBI, Whitacre himself becomes consumed in corruption, eventually stealing $9 million and earning a prison sentence that was infinitely longer than that of the felons he was supposed to be tracking.
Now this premise does not sound like the makings of a wacky comedy, but that's part of the quirkiness. "The Informant!" turns this premise into something entirely goofy, and the results are mixed. The strengths lie in the acting and directing. Matt Damon is hilarious in the lead role, giving a performance of heedless energy. Damon has long been an outstanding actor, but this is a joyful side that we rarely see from him. The supporting roles all fit in nicely, especially that of Melanie Lynskey as Whitacre's shockingly supportive wife Ginger. Soderbergh's direction is an exercise in effervescence. Nearly every scene is bright and colorful, literally, a fascinating stylistic approach that blends well with the movie's joyous nature.
The flaws, however, are easy to spot. The writing is wildly inconsistent, veering from zany brilliance to moronic randomness. And the film's biggest fault is it's frantically upbeat score, a score so distracting it should have received higher billing on the marquee than Matt Damon.
So, yes, this review has been an incoherent collection of random, inconsistent thoughts, but hey, that's how I felt during the movie. "The Informant!" is alternatingly funny, brilliant, annoying, and monotonous. I like a movie that keeps you on your toes.
No comments:
Post a Comment