THE INFORMANT!
RYAN: Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, “The Informant!” stars Matt Damon in a very paunchy role.
CAROLINE: I love Matt Damon so I was very interested in seeing this, but I merely liked it. Didn’t love it. It got boring after a while.
RYAN: We’re entering Oscar season and Matt Damon has buzz for this role, and with Soderbergh directing, it has a lot going for it. My expectations were high. The script is very good, and it’s based on a true story. I wonder how much is true though.
CAROLINE: There’s a funny disclaimer at the beginning that says they took some liberties with the story, but that’s to be expected. I really liked the movie at first, but then it got a little tedious and talky. I think I even dozed for a minute.
RYAN: Well, what else is new? I’m not in love with this movie, but I was definitely entertained. There’s a lot going on and you’re always trying to figure out who’s telling the truth and where people stand on what issues. Sorry to be vague, but I don’t want to give anything away. And I loved the opening credit sequence because the score is so fantastic.
CAROLINE: The music is very fun, comedic and light but slightly baffling in tone. The events of the movie take place in the ’90s, but the look of the movie, the color, the music and the font of all the titles are very ’60s and in some cases ’80s. It’s really strange. It’s like they captured the wrong era or something.
RYAN: Totally! The font is like Austin Powers meets Woodstock. It’s very confusing. Plus it’s a little hard to follow at times; I wasn’t sure if the lead guy had A.D.D. or if I just wasn’t getting it.
CAROLINE: Yes, but his inner monologues as shown in Matt Damon’s voice over are hilarious. That was a highlight of the movie for me. I laughed out loud a few times.
RYAN: There are some fun cameos including both Smothers brothers.
CAROLINE: I also recognized several comedians like Tom Papa, Joel McHale, Paul F. Tompkins and Patton Oswalt. That part was fun. And there are some fun scenes with hidden cameras and corporate espionage that reminded me of “The Firm,” which was funny because they make references to “The Firm” later in the movie.
RYAN: It definitely could have been cut down a little though. It started to drag at the end.
CAROLINE: Big time. There are light, funny moments but then it gets heavy on the corporate stuff and I lost interest. Almost like “Duplicity” earlier this year. Not a good thing.
— BOTTOM LINE —
CAROLINE: This movie started strong, but I didn’t love it. I did enjoy Matt Damon, but there were no other big stars in it unless you count Scott Bakula. Maybe this just isn’t my kind of move. Though it’s being compared to “Burn After Reading,” which I loved.
RYAN: I was definitely way more excited to see this movie than I was entertained by it. I could still see it getting a nomination or do but I don’t see it doing very well at the box office. Young people won’t really get it. It’s definitely for a mature audience with an attention span.
— RATING —
