The Informant!

Name: The Informant!
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Comedy
Released: September 18, 2009
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Matt Damon

2009

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 168 Ratings

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5.2	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 168 Ratings

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The Informant

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: September 18, 2009 | R

Starring: Matt Damon

Summary: What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre 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 canWhat was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre 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 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. (Warner Bros.)… Expand

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 108 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

As Soderbergh lovingly peels away veil after veil of deception, the film develops into an unexpected human comedy. Not that any of the characters are laughing. Read full review

Michael Phillips

More than any previous screen role, this one affords Damon a chance to work his sly comic chops. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

With composure so out of fashion these days in the public square, Steven Soderbergh's adamantly restrained The Informant! arrives like a cleansing tonic. Read full review

James Berardinelli

With Steven Soderbergh at the helm, this has become a whimsical, semi-comedic romp, complete with a score by Marvin Hamlisch that recalls kitschy '70s TV shows, cutesy captions, and a tongue-and-cheek approach to the entire story. Read full review

Jessica Baxter

It’s not a perfect film, but it’s definitely the Soder-side I prefer. Read full review

Richard Corliss

The Informant! may end up closer to the non-starters. Its lunacy is too deadpan, and its denouement too drawn out, to appeal to those who liked the Bourne movies, or, for that matter, the Gore. But it's worth seeing, and a salutary achievement. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

It's overextended and exhaustingly comic. Read full review

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User Reviews

badtoobad

Dec 14, 2019

This film is nothing short of a masterpiece. Hilarious and quick witted I was smirking the entire time.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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 ramblings triggered by his manic-depressive 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

jredekop

Nov 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 lot nobler than he actually was. The acting wasQuirky 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

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

RobS

Sep 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. Damon's Whitacre more than holds interest as a 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

TomM

Sep 21, 2009

Story line muddled, music was terrible and there was not one character I could empathize with. Only saving grace was Damon's performance.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

AlainA

Sep 25, 2009

This movie is well acted and well directed, but it is incredibly boring. I cannot believe it got a 66 score on metacritic. I wish I could have my two hours back. The trailer looked good, it got 66, so I gave it a chance. Avoid this movie.

2 of 2 users found this helpful

MatthewXploder

Oct 16, 2010

One word to describe this movie, bad. Tell you the truth I couldn't even finish watching because it was so uninteresting and NOT funny, actually, was this movie suppose to be funny?

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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86	#86 Most Discussed Movie of 2009
85	#85 Most Shared Movie of 2009