“DEEP THROATING THE CORN TYCOONS”
Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey, Thomas F. Wilson, Tom Smothers and Dick Smothers
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
MPAA Rating: R for language.
Genre: Comedy and Adaptation
By John Delia
Take a true story from the headlines, add some Hollywood comedy and try to make it into a full-fledged feature film. It is no easy task, except if you are Steven Soderbergh. His newest film The Informant is fascinating, remarkable and fun. If you are into films like Catch Me If You Can, A Beautiful Mind or Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, then The
Informant should be just as captivating for you as it is for me.
The true account goes something like this. The corporation Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), a top developer of products from corn, has been getting reports that a virus has caused a drop in their output of Lysine causing a huge loss in business. A top chemist at ADM, Mark Whitacre (Damon) gets called in to top management where he finds himself taking the fall if he doesn’t get rid of the micro-bug and reverse the process. In an attempt to turn the tables on ADM, he decides to become a whistle blower by telling the FBI that the corporation has been price fixing, a crime that would put top executives in jail.
Teaming up with Agents Shepard (Bakula) and Herndon (McHale) Whitacre agrees to wear a wire to get proof that the company has been committing the crime. Unfortunately for the FBI, Whitacre keeps changing his story every time he gets cornered on bogus facts. When the media gets involved after ADM officers call ‘foul,’ Whitacre starts to break down, or so it seems.
I enjoyed the way Sodeberg (Erin Brockovich) strings out the plot, adding problems, pitfalls and challenges in small measures as he develops Whitacre’s secret agent personality and cunning attributes. I especially enjoyed the scenes where Mark has to get the Japanese to say that they agree to the price-fixing and also his meetings with his private lawyer after the FBI says he’s going to need one.
The acting in the film is very good from all players, but topping my list for a possible supporting Oscar nomination is Melanie Lynskey who plays Whitacre’s wife Ginger. She gives a great performance as the committed wife who falls for everything her husband tells her.
There is a downside to the film and that being there are so many untruths that it is hard to keep up with the real facts. In the end, however, if you followed the story, it all makes sense. Except for the consequences, but that’s another story.
The film is rated R for language, but most of the harsh words are necessary to the plot. Even if you do take mature youngsters to the film, they probably won’t get most of the comedy and will fall asleep anyway.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A cunning adaptation of a true story.(4 of 5 Palm Trees)