Unpacking the Rotten Tomatoes Score: A Critical Look at The Informant

Unpacking the Rotten Tomatoes Score: A Critical Look at The Informant

The Informant, a 2009 American biographical-comedy-drama film, has garnered a 79% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, an online review aggregator. At first glance, this seems like a decent score, but when one delves deeper, it begs the question of whether the critics’ score is an accurate representation of the film’s quality. In this article, we will take a critical look at The Informant and unpack the Rotten Tomatoes score.

The Context of The Informant

The Informant is based on the true story of Mark Whitacre, a high-level whistleblower who cooperated with the FBI to expose corporate price-fixing. The film stars Matt Damon as Whitacre and was directed by Steven Soderbergh. The movie had a positive buzz before it was released and was touted as a potential awards contender.

The Rotten Tomatoes Score

Rotten Tomatoes is an online review aggregator that collects reviews from film critics to determine an overall score for a particular movie. The score is presented as a percentage based on the number of positive reviews compared to the number of negative ones.

The Informant has a 79% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests that the majority of critics gave it a positive review. However, the broad scope of Rotten Tomatoes’s rating system compounds the validity of this assertion. Rotten Tomatoes includes reviews that give a movie positive scores, even if critics only mildly enjoyed the movie or felt ambivalent about it. The wide range of scores that can lead to a “fresh” rating means the website may classify a movie with several lukewarm reviews as a good picture worth seeing.

Thus, the 79% critics’ score should not be taken as an absolute evaluation of the film’s quality. A high percentage of favorable reviews doesn’t imply that the film is a masterpiece or perfect. It is essential to understand the range of scores that can lead to such an overall rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Quality of The Informant

Mark Whitacre’s story is intense and complicated, but the movie’s portrayal of it lacks impact. Despite having a talented cast, the movie has few standout performances. The Informant has some humorous moments, as it’s a comedy-drama, but the humor detracts from the suspenseful parts of the story, diluting the thriller element. Viewers feel as if they’re watching a humorous documentary, not an intense crime drama.

An important consideration is that Soderbergh filmed The Informant over a short period, just twenty-nine days, and used an unconventional, experimental approach to cinematography, a departure from his usual style. The movie’s unconventional nature is one factor contributed to the criticism that the distributor emphasized too much in its trailer and poster on the film’s comic tone.

The Conclusion

The Informant’s 79% critics’ score should not be the sole factor when deciding whether to watch the movie. The critics’ score does not reflect the imperfections in the film’s depiction of the real events, nor does it account for the viewer’s inconsistency of opinion.

Overall, The Informant is a passable film that has some serious flaws. The film’s light-hearted moments interrupt the audience’s engagement and lessens the impact of the movie’s suspenseful portions. The critical reception, in this case, does not accurately reflect the quality of the film at all.

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