Sundance Review: The Informers
Filed under: Drama, Sundance, Theatrical Reviews, Sundance Reviews 2009
.jpg)
Although his books seem particularly difficult to adapt, several filmmakers have done fine work turning Brett Easton Ellis' stuff into feature films. As a matter of fact, I'd go as far as to say that ALL of the films based on Ellis' books are actually better than the source material. Certainly American Psycho, and maybe to a slightly lesser degree on Less Than Zero and The Rules of Attraction. But with the arrival of Gregor Jordan's nearly unwatchable The Informers, Ellis finally got the adaptation we haven't been waiting for.
Little more than a jumbled mass of unrelated subplots, The Informers is about a bunch of rich, spoiled, disaffected, hedonistic, obnoxious, ungrateful and gorgeous young people who simply do whatever they want and abuse / dismiss / mock anyone who gives them a second glance. Why anyone would want to spend 94 minutes with a crew this venal and hateful is anyone's guess, but combine their collective unpleasantness with a screenplay that "adapts" little and goes nowhere fast, and you're looking at a movie that's an absolute chore to sit through.
We open with the inconsequential demise of one young idiot, which gives us an entry to the rest of the gang: One guy has a mega-slut girlfriend, but he doesn't really care about her carnal activities. Another is a hip video director who's sleeping with the other guy's mom ... and the slutty girlfriend. Another uninteresting tool spends the whole flick whining away during a trip to Hawaii with his dad ... and then there's the drug-addicted rock star who wobbles around and drinks a whole lot.
One can only assume that Ellis' goal with this collection of noxious tales was that he wanted to give each thread precisely two acts and nothing more. I say this because, while I have no problem watching beautiful people doing vapid things, I do have a problem with a bunch of mini-stories that offer zero in the resolution department. As each of the five or six subplots lurch to a close, one is left thinking "Dear lord, is that it??"
Since the film takes place in the mega-tacky days of Los Angeles in 1983, a large portion of the alleged subext has to do with the arrival of the AIDS virus. In one hilariously clumsy sequence, we see a TV report on hows this new virus causes bruises -- which is later followed by a scene in which the slutty girl starts complaining about, yep, bruises. It's obvious that Jordan was never going for subtlety here, but this stuff is delivered with the delicacy of a sledge-hammer. Even those who insist that the movie is not meant to be analyzed on a surface level will be hard-pressed to find anything worth discussing that resides BENEATH the surface.
Boasting vacant performances from a bunch of pretty young faces (and several blank-eyed performances from veterans who should know better, such as Kim Basinger and Billy Bob Thornton) and completely bereft of any sort of POINT, The Informers is an ugly, blank slate of a film, one that feels like a rough outline for one of the better Ellis adaptations. But I suppose that's what happens when you take a bunch of short stories and just wedge them haphazardly into one exploitative mess.
Live from Sundance 2009
Designer LisaBeth Weber smiles following the oath of office by President Barack Obama during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Katy Winn)
AP
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: Writer/director Paul Saltzman of the film "Prom Night In Mississippi" pose for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Paul Saltzman
Getty Images
Daniel (L) and Taline Dinenberg of San Francisco, California, watch the inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama on Main Street during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, January 20, 2009. REUTERS/Ramin Rahimian (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: Producer Patricia Aquino and writer/director Paul Saltzman of the film "Prom Night In Mississippi" pose for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Patricia Aquino;Paul Saltzman
Getty Images
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: Thuli Sibiya and Mildred Nycabo of the film "Rough Aunties" poses for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Thuli Sibiya;Mildred Nycabo
Getty Images
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: Thuli Sibiya, director Kim Longinotto and Mildred Nycabo of the film "Rough Aunties" poses for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Thuli Sibiya;Kim Longinotto;Mildred Nycabo
Getty Images
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Director Jeff Lipsky, actor Donny Chiappetta, actress Maria Tucci, actor Chris Beetem and actor Chazz Palminteri of the film "Once More With Feeling" pose for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeff Lipsky;Donny Chiappetta;Maria Tucci;Chris Beetem;Chazz Palminteri
Getty Images
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Director Jeff Lipsky, actor Donny Chiappetta, actress Maria Tucci, actor Chris Beetem and actor Chazz Palminteri of the film "Once More With Feeling" pose for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeff Lipsky;Donny Chiappetta;Maria Tucci;Chris Beetem;Chazz Palminteri
Getty Images
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: Actress Maria Tucci of the film "Once More With Feeling" poses for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Maria Tucci
Getty Images
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: Actress Maria Tucci of the film "Once More With Feeling" poses for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Maria Tucci
Getty Images
Is Taylor Lautner Our Next Superhero?
100 Greatest Films Beyond the Canon
'Entourage' Movie in the Works?
Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Discuss: Should Gay Actors Stay in the Closet?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-20-2009 @ 7:09PM
mezzanine said...
I so knew this movie would suck.
I think everyone did...
Reply
1-20-2009 @ 9:57PM
Mike said...
It's worth mentioning that this was Brad Renfro's last flick. Although judging by the trailer, he doesn't appear to be in it very much. If he even made the cut at all.
Reply
1-20-2009 @ 11:32PM
MIND DANCER said...
Ellis material always revolves around the apathetic, a self absorbed absurdity. The characters are disconnected and ambitiously numb.
He gives snapshots with little in the department of rising action, climax, resolution, and epilogue. He often exits a book as spontaneously as he entered it. He gives a slice of random moments with moderately unlikable disjointed characters.
He continually addresses the status of a culture and generation he felt disgust towards.... peeling back the layers of glamor in the most overtly glamorized city out there.
Maybe its a bad film. The lack of subtlety you described concerns me. I will wait to judge. However, your review seems to depict a film that lingers inside all the themes of an Ellis novel. I'm in.
Reply
1-21-2009 @ 4:22AM
Scott Weinberg said...
Well said, and I thank you for disagreeing sans insults. How refreshing!
1-21-2009 @ 4:00PM
Rachael said...
"Why anyone would want to spend 94 minutes with a crew this venal and hateful is anyone's guess" -- couldn't the same be said about The Hills, The City, and Bromance on MTV? :)
Reply
1-22-2009 @ 10:37PM
Dan Mecca said...
Now hang on a minute. Less Than Zero the film (starring Jami Gertz!) is a horrifyingly bad adaptation of an incredibly bleak, tragic and beautifully written novel. And The Rules of Attraction I would argue is a good companion but in no way better than the novel. As for American Psycho...you may be right. The Informers is disturbing as fuck as a short story collection and I don't know how it could be a good film, so...
Reply
1-24-2009 @ 10:37AM
C Dingo said...
Supposedly Amber Heard is nude a lot , so maybe worth a look on video. Doubt I'll take it in at the theater, though.
Reply
2-03-2009 @ 4:52PM
mitts said...
Are you kidding me? When I initially read the reviewer say all Easton Ellis adaptations have been better than source material i was sufficiently shocked, but then to actually have someone AGREE that American Pyscho the movie was better than the book?! The movie happens to be great, don't get me wrong, but do you people honestly fail to recognize a classic piece of writing when you see it? The book is one of the most original, daring, highly skilled novels of the last several decades. Get with the program. And if you don't believe me, pick up a "Great Novel's of the 20th century" prospectus in 50 years and read about it for yourself. Furthermore, the book "The Informers" (short story collection, not a novel) is specifically intended to be about mood, not plot; about despicable people, not heroes; and to have no message, no moral lessons. It's an aesthetic. That, in itself, is the message. Even if the movie is bad (I haven't seen it) at least it (from the sound of it) attempts to stay true to this vision.
Reply
4-08-2009 @ 12:11AM
Joseph Patrick said...
Quote: One can only assume that Ellis' goal with this collection of noxious tales was that he wanted to give each thread precisely two acts and nothing more. I say this because, while I have no problem watching beautiful people doing vapid things, I do have a problem with a bunch of mini-stories that offer zero in the resolution department. As each of the five or six subplots lurch to a close, one is left thinking "Dear lord, is that it??"
It's obvious Mr. Weinburg never read the book. Given from the review above, it sounds like it has the same tone and pacing of the book... which is exactly what made the book so fantastic. There isn't SUPPOSED to be any resolve to these stories... I personally cannot wait to see the film, and I'm sure I'll love it. Maybe I just have bad taste in film... but I don't think so...
Reply