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Movies / In Theaters / The Informant!
The Informant!

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The Informant! (2009)

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Reviews Counted:185

Fresh:142

Rotten:43

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 [More]

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!

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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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A lightweight yet likeable cross between The Insider and Catch Me If You Can.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
11/20/09
Tim Evans
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

Although Damon is on brilliantly bumbling form, The Informant! ultimately comes off as Soderbergh’s Burn After Reading – a diversionary lark until he gets back to serious filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
11/20/09
Matt Mueller
Matt Mueller
Total Film

Only one role is fleshed out, and that’s Damon’s. With walrus ‘tache and a dazzling mix of the naive and the Machiavellian, his is, despite the movie’s lack of flair, one of the year’s stand-out performances.

Full Review Source: Uncut Magazine [UK] | comment Comment
11/20/09
Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts
Uncut Magazine [UK]

It's a tough sell, for sure: a not-quite-comedy, not-quite-drama about a long-forgotten crime. But this is a rewarding film: slyly cynical about big business, American justice, and the men who represent both.

Full Review Source: GQ Magazine [UK] | comment Comment
11/20/09
Alex Blimes
Alex Blimes
GQ Magazine [UK]

Damon makes his character ridiculous in a very convincing way while never for a moment overplaying.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
11/20/09
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

Damon conveys the vulnerability of his character, but the script fails to explore why Whitacre makes the choices he does. He's simply buffoonish.

Full Review Source: Radio Times | comment Comment
11/20/09
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
Radio Times

Quirky and eccentric rather than laugh-out-loud funny, mildly amusing rather than fully involving.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
11/20/09
Daily Mail [UK]

Damon is great. His comic timing as Mark Whitacre, a biochemist turned inept corporate whistleblower, transforms what should have been a dull film into an entertaining one.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
11/20/09
Sun Online

Scott Z Burns’s script hinges entirely on incidents that take place off-screen. The film will only work if audiences fail to notice this. But they won’t, so it won’t.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
11/20/09
Leo Robson
Leo Robson
Financial Times

The problem with The Informant!, aside from that overcoaxing exclamation mark, is that it's not especially funny.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
11/20/09
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

An amusing and beautifully acted little caper but the very American shenanigans may well struggle to keep you entirely engaged.

Full Review Source: Daily Express | comment Comment
11/20/09
Allan Hunter
Allan Hunter
Daily Express

Hugely enjoyable, frequently hilarious and superbly directed.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
11/20/09
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

An engaging corporate comedy-drama that continually catches us (and the characters) off guard. It's great fun to watch, and has a strongly resonant kick.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
11/20/09
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

After 1½ hours of ker-azee chuckles, you get one big clunker of a climax tossed in your lap.

Full Review Source: News of the World | comment Comment
11/20/09
Robbie Collin
Robbie Collin
News of the World

While there are difficulties with the tone and the almost smug, clever-clever attitude of The Informant, the unusual nature of the story and, above all else, the performance of Damon make it worth catching.

Full Review Source: Sunday Mail [UK] | comment Comment
11/20/09
Sunday Mail [UK]

This is Soderbergh having fun with his craft again – and inviting us to join in the laughs.

Full Review Source: Scotsman | comment Comment
11/20/09
Alistair Harkness
Alistair Harkness
Scotsman

It's the kind of movie that stymies my proper critical eye (and ability to write) due to being so jumbled and ambitious, much like its hero.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
11/19/09
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

The exclamation point in the title combined with the burnt orange color scheme and silly haircuts and facial hair tells you all you need to know about Soderbergh's approach.

Full Review Source: Examiner.com | comment Comment
11/09/09
Adam Lippe
Adam Lippe
Examiner.com

Creo que en manos de unos cineastas como los hermanos Coen, por ejemplo, el resultado sería infinitamente más divertido.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
11/08/09
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

Confronts us with the inveterate human capacity for self-justification 
 we are all prone to casting ourselves as the hero of our own drama and the victim of our own tragedy.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
11/06/09
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for The Informant!

September 18, 2009: Scott Bakula Talks The Informant! Opens in new window
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 Opens in new window
More...

July 12, 2009: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

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