Today's Movie

Title: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Year: 2005
Time: 110 minutes

Discussion:

I was in high school when Enron collapsed and when it happened I had no idea what was going on. After watching this documentary I feel like I have a significantly better understanding of the reasons behind the collapse of one of the worlds largest corporations. Director Alex Gibney tells a compelling story that highlights the evils of greed and ambition while allowing the audience to experience the intense heartbreak of the unfortunate Enron employees that were raped of their savings by Enron's collapse.
Gibney tries his best to tell a story that is not just about Enron, but about how the clever political maneuvering of these rich and powerful men influenced not just policy decision but also the policy makers themselves. Gibney insinuates that a media campaign against the governor of California ended in his recall and the election of a more Enron-friendly "Governator" I know very little about California politics and have no reason to disbelieve that Enron's powerful elite might have had a hand in that series of events, but the movie did not prove it and I am still somewhat skeptical about the leaps made by the film-maker.
On another note, there were some very admirable aspects to this documentary. The narration, by Peter Coyote was stellar. I watch a lot of documentaries and rarely ever think about the voice of the narrator. Coyote's presentation did not distract from the message but certainly caught my attention. Also, the use of re-enactment (though not nearly as successful as the use of re-enactment in the documentary "Man on Wire") was interesting.
The best thing about this movie was the music. Music supervisor, John McCullough did a spectacular job finding and using music that captured not only the emotional but the realistic aspects of the story line as the documentary progressed. From Dusty Springfield to Marilyn Manson and from Judy Garland to the Black Eyed Peas, the music was fun and as I have already said, befitting of the story arch. The original music performed by Tom Waits also deserves recognition even if you don't find yourself singing along.

If you get a chance to see this documentary you should take it. I still have a few criticisms about some of the conclusions made in the film but all in all it was well made, visually impressive and generally playful. The successful vilification of the "smartest guys in the room," crossed boundaries of just -what they did- into the realm of -what they looked like when they were doing it-. If I had never seen a picture of Lay, Fastow or Skilling, I bet I could have been shown a line up and picked them out if someone asked me to find the crook. Watch this movie and try not to get a little sick every time you see a stupid grin on one of their faces.

Grade: B