The Informant: This film looked really funny. The plot surrounds an executive at ADM who becomes a whistle-blower in a major sting operation. His inept and bumbling style paired with the earnest eye-rolling coming from the Feds, with Scott Bakula in an integral small part, makes this one you might look forward to in the Fall.
However, this film is another one of those ill-advised adventures that mistakenly portrays itself as a comedy. The music and the scenery are so disjointed that one almost has to wonder what time period this film is set in, the 1970’s or the 90’s?
The main character is unstable, and without giving too much away, the type of movie this reminds me of is “A Beautiful Mind.” This movie should never have been billed as a comedy, and yet you find commercials for this and other films advertising particular scenes with quotes of “hilarious” and “funny” and then come to find out there is nothing slightly comedic in the execution or the characters.
This is a serious subject and could have become more like “Dr. Strangelove” if the irony was heavy. One of the problems is the film is narrated by an unstable character and the rambling musings of his mind wander in and out leaving the audience at all times up in the air as to where the narrative is going. There is not a stabilizing character to counter-balance the quirky dialogue coming from Damon and at times we are left hanging.
In short, a disappointing film with a lot of promise and little enjoyment in the long run.
Six Degrees of Film 