“The Informant” centers on protagonist Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) who dons a mustache and glasses as well as a middle-aged paunch. Based on a true story, Whitacre is an executive at a chemical development company called ADM, which he describes as a company you probably haven't heard of, yet you'll have seen their products all the time. Similar to films such as Michael Mann's “The Insider,” “The Informant!” is a compelling tale of a whistleblower who tries to do the right thing by reporting his company's illegal price-fixing. Not exactly standard comedy material.

The movie isn't entirely serious, but the story isn't an inherently funny one either. Soderbergh likely chose this real-life tale because it's about the highest-ranking executive ever to blow the whistle in the U.S. He certainly didn't choose the subject based on his comedic potential. In this stranger-than-fiction true story, nothing can prepare you to get inside Whitacre's head, and hear his thoughts. Remember, you've been warned!

His story is in no way conventional or predictable (unless you've read the book by journalist Kurt Eichenwald). Watching Whitacre becoming increasingly delusional and inadvertently entangling himself into a web of deceit makes for difficult viewing. He starts to adopt the notion that he's a secret agent of sorts, and believes that his actions will eventually be commended. His wife Ginger (Melanie Lynskey), also does not realize the true extent of his deception, but there are several gaps in their relationship which go unanswered. The same is true of the FBI agents, who appear not to realize until very late into the saga that all is not quite as it seems with Whitacre, despite several of his actions confounding the investigation.

The movie has a unique feel, the music spells comedy, Soderbergh uses bells and whistles to make scenes' atmosphere quirky, and the color treatment of the film gives the movie a suitably corn-colored tone. However, with Damon's character's internal monologue narrating his seemingly random thoughts, I was puzzled by rather than laughing at the absurdity of the dialogue--and there's a lot of it. Take this thought of Whitacre's, for example, which had no relation to the events taking place at the time: “Polar bears cover their noses before they pounce on a seal. How do polar bears know their noses are black? Did they look in the water one day, see their reflection and say, 'Man, I'd be invisible if it wasn't for that thing.'"

The movie is interesting but entirely perplexing, because without these idiosyncratic musings, it wouldn't be classified as a comedy at all. Is this bizarre quality what makes it a comedy? Similar to “Catch Me If You Can,” Whitacre is a compulsive liar who finds himself believing his own lies. The problem is that this film never really succeeds as a comedy, as Whitacre is neither funny nor stupid.

Because the comedy is second-rate, Damon ends up carrying the story the whole way through. Soderbergh and Damon tried something new and different with “The Informant!”, achieving mixed results. I don't believe this to be a winning formula, but considering their previous work together, I doubt we've seen the last of this duo.