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Avg. Critic Score: 66 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 OK for kids 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    As Soderbergh lovingly peels away veil after veil of deception, the film develops into an unexpected human comedy. Not that any of the characters are laughing. Read full review

  • 90
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    It is Mr. Soderbergh's insistence on seeing the A.D.M. scandal as a collective tragedy rather than as another white-collar crime that gives the movie force, resonance, feeling. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    There is devilish fun in this look into 1990s white-collar crime. But the jokes are the kind you choke on. Read full review

  • 80
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    With composure so out of fashion these days in the public square, Steven Soderbergh's adamantly restrained The Informant! arrives like a cleansing tonic. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    In The Informant!, that brain -- screwy and yet capable of doing important undercover work -- free-associates like Ellen DeGeneres on a swing through Walmart. Cute, but as even Agent 86 would say in "Get Smart": Missed it by that much. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Soderbergh takes a deadly serious news story and amplifies and colors it to the point of outrageousness. The results aren't always consistent, but they are undeniably compelling. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Matt Damon's old-fashioned, brilliantly calibrated character turn as a corporate schnook-turned-whistle-blower; and Marvin Hamlisch's retro-groovy score. For the movie's first hour or so, the pair of them together make for four-star entertainment. The last half hour, not so much. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Amusingly eccentric rather than outright funny. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The whole film, a comedy about crime and mental illness, seems at war with itself. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    While this film fits squarely into Soderbergh's recurrent goal of ignoring audience interest when possible, that's the only area in which it can be considered a success. Read full review

View more reviews for The Informant! on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 15+ Playful tale of corporate misdeeds may interest some teens.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this engaging Steven Soderbergh comedy received an R rating principally for language. The actual subject matter -- corporate misdeeds -- may only appeal to teens, however, because it stars Matt Damon. The movie is based on a true story and sends some mixed messages about corporate ethics; ethical breaches are treated somewhat lightly, which may make the crimes seem less serious. And the main character isn't exactly a role model himself. That said, teens old enough to understand the movie's tone won't miss the message about the importance of questioning greed and its place in today's society. While there's little sex or violence, you can expect some drinking and plenty of cursing (including "f--k," "s--t," and more), plus frank, sometimes complicated discussions about certain criminal activities.
  • Families can talk about why Mark reveals what he does. Are his true motives clear? Is he ultimately a hero or a villain?  
  • Why do companies, particiularly large ones, seem unable to prevent breaches in ethics? Is there a general culture of greed that encourages unlawful behavior?  
  • The movie is based on a true story. Do you think filmmakers changed any of the key facts for the movie? Why would they do that? How could you find out?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The main character says he wants to expose a huge corporate scandal because he believes it's wrong, but it soon it becomes clear that he has less pure motives for coming forward. The film is based on a true story about an investigation into price-fixing by massive conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Mark is an unreliable narrator who may not always be telling the whole truth. His motives for becoming an informant are questionable, and his stories usually paint him as either a hero or victim but never show him doing anything wrong.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: Some intense arguments.
  • sex false1 Sex: One man crudely discusses a former co-worker and how attractive she was.
  • language false4 Language: Plenty of swearing, including many uses of "f--k" (some with "mother"), “s--t,” "t-ts," "goddamn," “a--hole,” "damn," "hell," and more.
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Brands mentioned or seen include luxury cars (like Porsche and Ferrari), EconoLodge, and Anheuser Busch.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some adult characters drink -- both socially and at times of crisis.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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