The Informant! -- Review #JPMN
1,153 views · Published 5 March 2012 · 2:54 · Indexed 7 October 2026
Channel: Movie Night · 2012 · Film & Animation
The Informant! (2009) -- 4/10. Full episodes of Movie Night, every Friday night at: http://bit.ly/JogJPMN ~~ Movie Night ~~ This "Quick Review" is an excerpt from a full episode. Incorporating viewer comments and tweets, your host and film critic Jonathan Paula reviews everything from opening day releases, recent DVDs, and classics from years past. Along with your votes, these films are scored on the "Rate-O-Matic" for a 1-10 ranking. A "Five Word Summary" quickly encapsulates each review while "Factor Facts" highlight the the best and worst features of a movie in each of ten key categories. New episodes every Friday (November through May) on the JPizzle1122 channel. Born in February 1986, Jonathan Paula is a professional YouTuber and creator of the hit web series, "Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This?". In April 2006 he founded Jogwheel Productions, a new media production company that specializes in web video. He has been reviewing films since 2003, and professionally since 2009. Jon graduated from Emerson College in 2008 with a degree in Television Production / Radio Broadcasting. He currently lives in Rockingham, NH with his wife Rebecca. ~~ Links ~~ Facebook ---------------- http://bit.ly/JonFBFan Twitter --------------------- http://bit.ly/JonTW Main Channel ----------- http://bit.ly/Jogwheel 2nd Channel ------------ http://bit.ly/JonWorld Movie Night Show ----- http://bit.ly/JogJPMN FAQ Video --------------- http://bit.ly/JogFAQv T-Shirts ------------------- http://bit.ly/JogStore ~~ Technical ~~ Created by ------ Jonathan Paula Camera ---------- Panasonic DVX-100b Microphone ----- Sennheiser ME 66 Software --------- Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 Computer ------- http://bit.ly/JAV010 • Jogwheel Productions © 2009 • ~~ Review Script ~~ Starring Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre - a whistler blower within the lysine price-fixing conspiracy of the mid 1990's - The Informant! is loosely based on a true story, and features a very large supporting cast of mostly TV regulars like Scott Bakula, Joe McHale, Scott Adsist, Patton Oswalt, and even Thomas F. Wilson - the actor who played Biff in BTTF. The film is sharply written, and moves along at a blisteringly, sometime confusing pace as we follow the inner monologue of habitual liar and middle-man, Whitacre at a lysine manufacturing company, ADM. While the plot here is based on a true story, it certainly offers very little cohesion for the viewing audience... as the developments from scene to scene routinely fail to compound on one another, with many pieces of dialogue in the film playing out like un-funny SNL skits, rather than something in a professionally released movie that ought to be progressing the plot forward. There are interesting characters here, and a plot to follow - but unfortunately for us, the Whitacre character is just so haphazard in his motives that it's very difficult to figure out if he's telling the truth, or if he's even the good guy in this film. For a movie that is billed as a "Dark Comedy", The Informant! is by all accounts - neither. Although the dialogue is well-written and acted, this movie is nothing more than a quirky two-hour office drama that confuses the viewer, and fails to reach a satisfactory conclusion with it's characters. There was nothing "dark" about the material, and certainly not a single moment that even resembled funny comedy. The Informant! finishes with a definite conclusion, but it feels very slow getting there, and when the credits roll - you wonder if any of the character learned anything from their mistakes and exploits. I suppose if you're massively curious about the lysine pricing fixing scandal of 1995, this might be a fun film for you, but sadly - it failed to really spark my interest. ~
