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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)

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