Not-so-secret agent
Sep 16, 2009 |
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Jack of all genres, Steven Soderbergh, returns with The Informant!, the closest he has ever come to making a straight-forward comedy. But of course, nothing is ever straightforward with the auteur–his Ocean’s trilogy notwithstanding. The opening titles of his latest film lets us know that the proceedings, although true, are dramatized. The disclaimer ends with “So there.” And that basically warns us of things to come. The exclamation point punctuating the title should be another tip-off of the tone.
Matt Damon is Mark Whitacre, an executive with Archer Daniels Midland, an agriculture company that price fixes the food additive lysine. Whitacre first informs his superiors of a mole in the corporation who is feeding info to a rival Japanese company but then turns around and becomes a whistle-blower for the FBI. What is later discovered is that Whitacre is also bipolar and this serves as an explanation for the series of lies upon outrageous lies that create a contradictory clusterfuck of investigative proportions. All the while, Whitacre still believes he’ll be able to keep his job. One FBI agent gently tries to reason with him: “I think the corporate culture is going to change for you.”
The lies that Whitacre tells to keep the corporate snowball from rolling down the hill of his double-crosses are so monumental that Soderbergh and his screenwriter Scott Z. Burns (adapting from the book by Kurt Eichenwald) almost have no choice but to play the situational ludicrousness for laughs. Everytime Whitacre says, “I haven’t been telling you the whole truth,” you know something crazy is about to come out of his mouth. Then there’s the fact that he can’t seem to keep a secret to save his life. Not the best quality when you are tasked with collecting evidence on your co-workers while undercover for the FBI.
Soderbergh films everything with a soft, orange focus with plump fonts for the title cards, calling to mind the 70s even though the proceedings take place in the 90s. The director usually serves as his own cinematographer (he once again uses the pseudonym Peter Andrews) and with his new toy, the Red high-definition camera, the color scheme doesn’t quite match the film’s personality. At times the warm haziness is so extreme, it resembles vintage porn. Composer Marvin Hamlisch contributes his first real film score in over a decade and his kazoos, pleasant tinkles on the piano, and parodic 007-guitar strums add bounce to the already happy-go-lucky proceedings.
Damon, as our hapless, bumbling anti-hero turns in a fine comic performance, his best one since his guest-spot on Will & Grace. He sports a porn-stache and a gut–he gained 30 pounds for the role–but as they say on dance-contest-reality-shows, he doesn’t let the props control him. He carries it naturally for his character. Also inspired is a voiceover narration that’s let’s us know what’s going on, or not going on, in Whitacre’s head, and Damon’s lighthearted, unaware voice has the perfect tone to complement the deadpan gags.
Quantum Leap’s Scott Bakula does a dignified, exasperated job as FBI agent Brian Shepard. For a TV star reduced to guest spots, he gets a lot of screen time and it’s comforting to have him around again. Also making an impression strictly by gracing the screen with his presence is The Soup’s Joel McHale as Bakula’s partner.
Even though it’s about whistle-blowing, The Informant! also a slight movie, lacking the damning graveness of The Insider, the hypnotic driving ambition of Michael Clayton, or even the dramatic star power of Soderbergh’s own earnest Erin Brokovich. Because no one else in the production takes things seriously, neither do we, making it a bit of a detriment to the film. Damon’s Whitacre is a character we really don’t feel anything for removed, except jaw-dropping shock whenever he opens his mouth. Later, what we end up feeling is pity, something decidedly at odds with the tone. If that was the point, Soderbergh needed to drop more clues.
Still, it’s undeniable that the film isn’t totally watchable and entertaining. It’s just not a Soderbergh project to fall in love with, or even want to just casually date. But after the indie-sensibilities of The Girlfriend Experience and the epic fail of Che (both indulgent parts), The Informant! is definitely a decent one-nighter. So there.
