ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM (2005)

SHORT REVIEW: Ahhh, the American documenrtary: where facts meets conjecture and no one seems to mind. This is a must-see, I’ll state that up front. The Enron scandal is the premier business scandal of our age and needs to be understood. In many places, this film takes a complicated situation and lays it out in an easily digestible format. The interesting thing about this documentary is that it doesn’t just throw numbers and business dealings at you and expects you to get it. The film slowly shows the corporation’s rise to the top of the heap. Then you get to see the whole thing drop faster than Bill Clinton’s pants at the Playboy Mansion. We get to see the human side of the human garbage that made this behemoth and then rode it into the ground. In particular, we get a closer look at former CEO Jeff Skilling who is the central man behind the whole debacle. The film is careful to show this to be a story of human greed and unbridled lust for power on all levels. If the film were to keep it here, it would have been brilliant. However, there is an obvious political overtone to the whole thing – big shock, a documentary with an underlying bias! Before I continue, I want to acknowledge that I am about to get into a little political ramble here. Those of you who usually don’t agree with me (Karlo, I’m looking at you,) may want to just pass the remainder of this review. This film, through ignoring them, absolves all Democrats from the stain of this scandal and firmly places all blame on Republicans. Are there Republicans that should have to explain themselves (G.W. and family for example?) Yes. But a scandal of this scope, involving this many groups cannot exist in a bubble. This did go down under a Democratic administration, both in Washington and in California. To give a clear example of this film’s agenda, it insinuates (meaning that it offers NO FACTS) that Schawarteeneggerenewartnener…. whatever, Ah-Nold was someone ushered into office by Enron. The filmmakers also ask Gray Davis if he was a victim of a conspiracy. What do you THINK he’s going to say? Anyway, be aware of the political agenda found in this film. It is there and it’s too bad. It keeps this film from being completely reliable. I am certain the book this is based on is probably more responsible. Okay, the political stuff is over. Overall, this is worth the time and effort to watch. It is instructive and explains things in a common way. For that the filmmakers deserve high credit. As you probably know, I'm a conservative but it is corporate stories such as these that should give all of us who worship at the temple of free-market capitalism pause. Human greed has produced the wonders of the world but it has also torn them down. RELATED REVIEWS: Other documentaries of note: The Aristocrats (2005) Beyond The Gates of Splendor (2005) March of The Penguins (2005) Categories: film, movie, DVD, review, documentary, Enron, Ken Lay