I’m sure Matt Damon thought that The Informant!, the movie based on the book based on actual events, would be a great opportunity to prove that he’s more than just a hunky Hollywood pretty boy (he does, in a way, by packing on 20 or so pounds and donning a bald cap at the end of the film, but Good Will Hunting surely sufficed), but, unfortunately, this quest to be taken seriously provides an all too unfunny movie.
Damon portrays Mark Whitacre, a mole for the FBI who back in the ’90s was jailed for tax evasion and fraud discovered by the bureau during their investigation of ADM, the conglomerate of which Whitacre was a top-tier executive. He spent about three years undercover for the FBI (much to the chagrin of his loving wife Ginger, played by Melanie Lynskey); his whistleblowership came to an end when it surfaced that he’d embezzled $9 million.
The plot focuses largely on developing Whitacre from a slightly bumbling, good natured guy who seems as though he just wants to be well-liked to a vaguely delusional narcissist with a web of lies. He fools just about everyone (though it seems as though his wife lets herself be fooled, at least until the end when she sees firsthand how her husband pathetically stumbles through yet another tall tale), in particular the two FBI agents he’s working with (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale). Whitacre tells lie after lie, including one about being adopted by a wealthy amusement park owner after his parents were killed in a car accident, and another about one of the agents hitting him with a briefcase. He even stages his own half-assed kidnapping.
The movie, which is saturated with a decidedly ’70s feel (oddly, since the film takes place in the ’90s) — the name of each new city Whitacre visits is splashed across the screen in a super groovy font reminiscent of the Three’s Company titles — has the potential to be funny, but ultimately falls flat. The role of an American everyman who happens to be a pathological liar and thief just seems wrong when played by Damon. His voiceovers, which range from his musings over corn to his thoughts on ties and clearly used to help illustrate that Whitacre is far from a criminal mastermind, didn’t offer up the flair that they easily could have. As I watched the film I kept imagining how other actors may have approached the part. Paul Giamatti or Philip Seymour Hoffman could have certainly brought something to it, and director Stephen Soderbergh may have found a better match with another of his Ocean’s Eleven (and Twelve and Thirteen) stars. Eddie Jemison (who actually appeared briefly in The Informant!) has a certain putzy way about him that would be perfect for a role like this. But if it was star power Soderbergh was after, Brad Pitt proved in Burn After Reading that he can play an idiot, and he’s certainly more than capable of playing a smart idiot.
Damon, though, is not entirely to blame for the lackluster of the film. The Informant! seems merely to be a vehicle for a quirky character (as already discussed, Damon doesn’t quite have the personality to pull it off), and even a story so character-driven needs just that — a story, and one that will make people pay attention no matter who’s starring. It starts off slow and never quite seems to pick up, even when the truth about Whitacre starts to unravel. The pacing makes the movie seem much longer than its 108 minutes, something that doesn’t help a plot already hard-pressed to captivate .
Still, The Informant! is not without its charms. The aforementioned bald cap and 20 pounds Damon sported elicits a chuckle or two, as does the perpetual exasperation every person who encounters Whitacre seems to experience.
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"The Informant!" is on sale February 23, 2010 and is rated R. Comedy, Crime, Drama. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Written by Scott Z. Burns (Screenplay), Kurt eichenwald (Novel). Starring Allan Havey, Eddie Jemison, Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Bakula, Tom Papa.
