Question 1

How did Matt Damon prepare to play the overweight Mark Whitacre?

Accepted Answer

Matt Damon purposely gained weight by eating lots of hamburgers, pizza, and dark beer, which he described as "really, really, really fun."

Question 2

What unusual TV show idea does Mark Whitacre imagine in his internal monologue?

Accepted Answer

Whitacre imagines a TV show where a man calls his house and hears himself answer the phone, which is part of the plot of Steven Soderbergh's own movie Schizopolis (1996).

Question 3

Which major film festivals screened The Informant! in 2009?

Accepted Answer

The film screened at the Venice Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival in 2009.

Question 4

What real-life event was this story featured in before becoming a film?

Accepted Answer

This story was the subject of the September 15, 2000 episode (#168) of This American Life entitled "The Fix is In."

Question 5

What is the central conflict in The Informant!?

Accepted Answer

Mark Whitacre, a rising star at agri-industry giant ADM, turns whistleblower to expose his company's multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI while envisioning himself as a hero.

Question 6

How did Matt Damon prepare to play the overweight Mark Whitacre?

Accepted Answer

Matt Damon purposely gained weight by eating lots of hamburgers, pizza, and dark beer, which he described as "really, really, really fun."

Question 7

What unusual TV show plot does Mark Whitacre imagine in the film?

Accepted Answer

Whitacre envisions a TV show where a man calls his house and hears himself answer the phone, which mirrors the plot of Steven Soderbergh's own 1996 film Schizopolis.

Question 8

Which major film festivals featured The Informant!?

Accepted Answer

The film was featured at the Venice Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival in 2009.

Question 9

What real-life legal connection appears in the film through an interviewer?

Accepted Answer

Mark Whitacre is interviewed by John Dowd, who was later retained as an attorney for Donald Trump during the Mueller investigation into 2016 campaign collusion with Russia.

Question 10

What is the central conflict in The Informant!?

Accepted Answer

Mark Whitacre, a rising star at agri-industry giant ADM, turns whistleblower to expose his company's multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI while envisioning himself as a hero.

The Informant!

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