Back Shelf Beauties
by Willie Waffle
|
Enron: The Smartest Guys
In The Room
When one of the interview subjects states early in the documentary, "this
is a human story," I quickly prepared myself for a stream of sob stories.
However, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the
Room is a human story in the best sense. Far from a mawkish tale
solely focused on how little old ladies were cheated out of their life savings
or how hard working Joes lost their pensions after years of dedication to
the company, this movie is about the greed and hubris that took down Enron,
and all of those who were not willing to stop it along the way. It is the
most fascinating business story I have ever seen on film.
Writer/director Alex Gibney (based on the novel by Bethany McLean and Peter
Elkind) takes us from the founding of Enron and its meteoric rise; to its
days of being the superstar company of America; to its eventual fall and
the rolling blackouts in California that demonstrated the corporation's disregard
for what is right and ethical. More than just telling the story, Gibney shows
the audience his argument that Enron planted the seeds of its own demise,
especially due to the corporate culture built up by CEO Jeff Skilling and
his team. He is able to take us beyond the nuts and bolts of how Enron was
run, and show us the ways ego and greed destroyed the company just as much
as questionable accounting practices, which makes the film a great character
study of Skilling, CFO Andy Fastow, President Ken Lay and the rest of the
team, many of whom are facing upcoming trials where they will present their
side of the story. You might not think a corporate scandal movie could be
this interesting, but even a dope like me who has no idea about mark-to-market
accounting sat with eyes riveted on the screen to watch supposedly competent,
well-meaning individuals allow Enron to run amuck, and understand the scandal
due to our director's ability to educate us about how it was done and the
issues involved.
Gibney's willingness to shine a light on other parties who could have stopped
Enron along the way is what sets Enron: The Smartest
Guys in the Room apart. The company was full of greedy villains
who easily can be demonized (and he presents stories that will amaze you),
but Gibney also shows us how lawyers, analysts, accountants, regulators and
the media all bought into Enron's methods, or were pushed around into submission.
Tales of analysts losing their jobs for asking important questions or reporters
being hounded after barely criticizing Enron highlight the company's attitude
that their leaders were the smartest guys in the room, and you were stupid
if you didn't understand their methods and vision, which adds to the feeling
Enron's executives were the best snake oil salesmen in the history of flimflam
men and con artists. Yes, we also hear from the unfortunate employees and
pensioners who lost it all when the company collapsed, and how unfair it
was when you see who was allowed to dump the stock at a decent price.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
is one of the best films in the Cineplex.
4 Waffles (Out Of
4)
Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
|