RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
  • Bookmark and Share

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
97 %
Tomatometer

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted: 115

Fresh: 112

Rotten:3

Average Rating: 8.1/10

Consensus: A concise, entertaining documentary about the spectacular failure of Enron.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Apr 22, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $3,886,956

Synopsis: This searing examination of the Enron accounting scandal reveals the psychology of greed and corporate corruption that facilitated the company's rise to power and also its fall. When Enron went... This searing examination of the Enron accounting scandal reveals the psychology of greed and corporate corruption that facilitated the company's rise to power and also its fall. When Enron went bankrupt in 2001, the principals walked away millionaires--but later faced legal proceedings and jail sentences. Meanwhile, many employees and investors were left with nothing, not even their 401k retirement savings. Shedding light on the new economy of the 1990s when predictions and book-cooking flourished without actual profits, the film shows how it was not Enron alone but a network of bankers, traders, and accountants who turned a blind eye to the company's clearly suspicious numbers. CEO Ken Lay and top dogs Jeff Skilling and Andy Fastow give candid interviews that illustrate their skill at deflecting hard questions and egotistically boasting about the company's success. In one of the company's cold and calculated moves--which caused the California power outages, and lead to the ousting of governor Gray Davis--Enron employees are shown laughing at forest fires. Unbelievable footage of employees reveals unbridled greed, lust for risk-taking, and guiltless cheating, all while thinking they could never be caught. Finally, a few brave whistle-blowers stepped forward, including Bethany McLean, author of the Enron novel upon which this film is based, who wrote an article in Fortune magazine calling the company's bluff. A remarkable documentary which packages the events of the scandal into a cohesive story, this is one film not to miss. This film screened in the 2005 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. [More]

Director: Alex Gibney

Director: Alex Gibney
Screenwriter: Alex Gibney
Producer: Joana Vicente, Jason Kliot
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jan 17, 2006

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

This essential documentary skillfully maps out the shady "mark to market" accounting device that the men who called themselves "the smartest guys in the room" used to commit corporate fraud on a colossal scale.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
05/09/09
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
11/01/07
David Ansen
Newsweek
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/16/07
Trevor Johnston
Time Out New York

A fun and demoralizing roller-coaster ride that will whet appetites for the Lay and Skilling debut in court as The Most Nervous Guys in the Room.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
01/27/07
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
05/12/06
Ken Tucker
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/06/06
BBC

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/06/06
Empire Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
05/06/06
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
05/06/06
Philip French
Observer [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out

goes a long way to explain exactly why Enron imploded

Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
01/31/06
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/17/06
Sydney Morning Herald

Fascinante do início ao fim, expõe o caso Enron e todas as suas complexas implicações de maneira didática e bem-humorada, funcionando, ainda, como um fantástico estudo sobre a natureza humana.

comment Comment
01/04/06
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

The Emperor Has No Energy

Full Review Source: JWR | comment Comment
12/28/05
S. James Wegg
JWR

An expose on how greed, pride, and self-preservation instincts goad ambitious people to the outer capacities of deception and immoral behavior.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
12/23/05
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

Powerful on many levels at once, Enron couldn’t be more necessary as we wade into the muck of a second Bush term.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Peter Hanson
Film Threat

Enron… is a film of tragic proportions; it sheds light on the venal humanity that led to more than a giant corporate fall – a human tragedy.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/06/05
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

September 26, 2008: Alex Gibney Feels Gravity Opens in new window
For his next project, "Taxi to the Dark Side" director Alex Gibney will executive-produce and "serve as mentor" on "Gravity," a documentary about the world of BASE jumping. More...

December 06, 2007: Freakonomics Headed to a Theater near You
Perhaps you've heard of Freakonomics, the bestselling book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, and thought it sounded interesting, but never found out, on account of how... More...

March 06, 2006: Indie Spirit Awards Distributed
Lost in the shadow of the weekend's Oscar coverage was the annual Independent Spirit Awards presentation, which is where you'll find ... a lot of accolades similar to the... More...

January 31, 2006: 2005 Oscar Nominations Are In!
Like most pathetic movie geeks, I was up at the crack of dawn (ok, 8:30am eastern time) to see how my nomination prediction ballot would measure up. (I was perfect on all 20... More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Click here to be the first to post a message on this forum.

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
79%
79%
Gran Torino
30%
30%
12 Rounds
23%
23%
Confessions of a Shopa…
—
The Code
39%
39%
Inkheart

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
22%
22%
Push
12%
12%
The Unborn

More New Releases…

RT On Current TV

What’s Hot On RT

Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry

Pt. 3: Cuaron's darker Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Mockumentaries

Best Mockumentaries

From Borat to Spinal Tap, this one goes to 11

Humpday Clip

Humpday Clip

An exclusive peek at the indie comedy!

Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince

How good is the 6th Harry Potter?

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: T.J. Hooker Film in Development
36
  • Warners Shortens Green Lantern Wishlist Source: Hollywood Reporter
114
  • Harold Ramis Talks Ghostbusters 3 Source: MakingOf.com
38
  • Spider-Man 4 Gets Its Third Writer Source: Latino Review
60
  • Warners Wins Favorable Ruling in Superman Case Source: Variety
20
  • Remo Williams Rides Again Source: Risky Biz
10
  • Mortal Kombat 3 Filming in September? Source: Slashfilm
82
  • MacGruber Gets a Director Source: Variety
39
  • PG-13 Turns 25 Source: VideoETA
8
  • Weekly Ketchup: Universal Takes on Asteroids
92
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
67
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
67
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Transformers and Ice Age Tie for Top Spot
59
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
53
  • Total Recall: Mock Docs That Rock
44
  • Critics Consensus: Bruno is Certified Fresh
43
  • Five Favorite Films with Kathryn Bigelow
39
  • Tomatometer Watch: How Good is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
27
  • RT on DVD: Knowing, Push, The Unborn Unleashed
26
  • Five Favourite Films with Jaime Winstone
19
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • RT Interview: Director Carlos Cuaron on Rudo and Cursi
0
  • RT Interview: Tony Scott on The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
10
  • Cannes 2009: RT Interview - Sally Hawkins on We Want Sex
2
  • RT Interview: Tilda Swinton on Julia
5
  • Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds Reflects On her Life in Showbiz
10
  • Exclusive: McG Talks Terminator Salvation
24
  • Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
5
  • RT Interview: Reading The Reader with Stephen Daldry
11
  • RT Interview: Oscar Nominee Melissa Leo
7
  • Carey Mulligan - Fresh Talent on RT
7
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room at IGN
  • Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno External Link

MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.

Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles
Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles External Link

TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.

A Baywatch Comedy?
A Baywatch Comedy? External Link

BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.