the Informant!

I've watched this twice now, and just love it. The movie is executed well, but the underlying source material is truly fascinating -- This American Life did a full show about Mark Whitacre in 2000. Basically it's about Archer Daniels Midland (industrial farming) and price fixing and the FBI. With those plot points you'd think it would be a thriller, but it's not, it's a comedy, with cartoon-ish music and semi-cartoon-ish acting. And it really works. The trailer gives a good representation of the movie.

As an aside, deep into the movie there's a somewhat snide shout out to Taylorville, Ill, home of my officemate Keely and one of the three people subscribed to the blog, her friend Molly.

Here's the opening bit (he is talking to his son) an ode to industrial corn:

You know that orange juice you have every morning? You know what's in that?

Corn.

And you know what's in the maple syrup on your pancakes? You know what makes it taste so good?

Corn.

When you're good and help with the trash... you know what makes the big, green bags biodegradable? Do you?

Corn. Corn starch.

But Daddy's company didn't come up with that one. DuPont did.

Porsche or Porsche? I've heard it both ways. Three years in Germany, I should know.

What's German for 'corn'?

The German word I really like is kugelschreiber. That's 'pen.' All those syllables just for 'pen.'

Another funny bit:

I don't like wool on skin.

Not even that merino wool they have at Marshall Field in Chicago.

Ginger likes it because it's formfitting, but she likes avocados.

And who wants that texture in their mouth?