Column:

'The Informant!' provides subtle humor

By Katy Wagner

Published Sept. 25, 2009

"The Informant!" is hard to explain. It's a comedy that, for the most part, is not outwardly funny. It starts off relatively boring and more than a little confusing. After this rocky start, "The Informant!" turns into an outrageously sardonic tale of self-righteous lies and the lying liars who tell them.

Avoiding spoilers, the basic synopsis is this: Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) voluntarily decides to help a couple FBI agents (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) air out the manufactured food industry's dirty laundry. Whitacre then essentially hijacks the investigation with his idiosyncrasies, leading the FBI on a ridiculously long and zany journey.

The biggest boon to Steven Soderbergh's film is his attention to tone. The colors and cinematography are big and bold, drawing in great contrast to the overall quiet comedy of the film itself. Lending another fascinating trait to "The Informant!" is its rousing soundtrack. Soderbergh brought back the big band of the "Ocean's" movies, but instead of playing slick tunes, a flamboyant chorus fills the background.

The most interesting addition to the tone of the film is Soderbergh's clever decision to cast comedians in the majority of the film's straight roles. Stand-up comedians, such as Tom Papa, Patton Oswalt and even cult favorite Joel McHale show up as corporate goons, straight-faced lawyers and FBI agents. Soderbergh's use of their comedic timing in serious roles establishes the sort of irreverent tone "The Informant!" runs on, making the audience feel as though something completely outrageous can happen at any moment.

All of the performances are quietly nuanced, but someone who is not quite getting the recognition he deserves is Scott Bakula. Bakula turns in a sincere portrayal as the perplexed FBI Special Agent Brian Shepard. Although Matt Damon's antics are the major selling point of the film, Bakula truly shines through.

Now, the pull of the film is the relatively attractive Damon's performance as chubby, toupee wearing, mustachioed corporate numbskull Mark Whitacre. In all actuality, the fact Damon put on around 30 pounds to play Whitacre is small change. Damon's fabulous portrayal of an expendable employee with an inflated sense of self is pitch perfect, transcending his schlubby looks with ease.

Damon is always in control of Whitacre's quirks, which is a feat considering the scene-chewing potential a role like this provides. Not to mention the fact Whitacre's inner monologue will go down in history as one of the most deliciously bizarre voice-overs ever, on par with Tyler Durden in "Fight Club." Unfortunately, it's the late development of Whitacre's character that provides the film's only downfall.

"The Informant!" honestly hits its stride a little over halfway through the movie. At the halfway point, the audience finally understands what exactly is going on with Whitacre. Although it is apparent undisclosed knowledge of Mark Whitacre's psyche is the true crux of the film, leaving the audience in the dark for more than 60 minutes is frustrating and unforgivable.

"The Informant!" looks and feels funny. Steven Soderbergh carefully makes sure of this, paying close attention to the backdrop of this corporate farce. Every performance is subtle and quiet, showing a great amount of restraint from its eccentric actors. Unfortunately, the beginning is bloated and boring. "The Informant!" is funny if you can stay awake long enough to see it.