1. Did I enjoy it? YES
Matt Damon loves to play complicated characters. You might think a character like Mark Whitacre who goes undercover for the FBI while also participating in illegal activities himself would be an implausible piece of fiction writing. Not this time. This story is based on real events and Mark Whitacre really did take millions of dollars from the very company he was helping the FBI bust for price fixing. Steven Soderbergh, who also directed The Girlfriend Experience earlier this year, does a great job in holding back what the Whitacre character is really up to in early scenes. When Whitacre tells his first lie, I was upset with him, but thought he was simply under stress rather than having a trick up his sleeve. It turns out he played me too.
2. Would I watch it again? NO
This movie did not do well at the box office as because it was marketed wrong. Yes, there are amusing portions of this film, as Whitacre's lies get so complex it's ridiculous. But this is not the kind of comedy that has you busting a gut every five minutes. Ignore the trailers that suggest it is. If viewers go into it looking for a quirky drama, I think they'll be much more pleased with the film. I might watch this once more to see if I can tell what Whitacre is up to earlier in the movie, but beyond that, I don't think I would watch it more than that. Just don't give up on it altogether, as many viewers did.
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