The Informant! (2009)

This is a film that really exceeded my expectations. There’s a lot going on here, there’s of course the quirky style, and Damon’s great performance, along with a whose who of under used character actors, but there’s also a surprisingly intricate tapestry running beneath everything that I didn’t fully start to piece together until after I left the theater (though I can’t say to much about that with out spoiling it). Suffice it to say this film didn’t take me where I expected to go, and while I felt a little trepidation at first, I now embrace it. One of the most enjoyable part of the film are Matt Damon’s little internal monologues as Mark Whitacre. Here is a guy in the middle of some high stress, intense stuff, price fixing, working as a mole for the FBI, yet like most of us he often spends his time thinking about stupid stuff, like where he should go to get his ties, an idea for a television show, and South American butterflies, these moments are often hilarious. One of my favorite films of the year so far. Grade: A-.