Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
The story behind the fall of Enron, one of the largest energy companies in the world. Based on the book by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind. The filmmaker suggests that the fall of Enron begs the question: was the scandal an anomaly, or a natural outgrowth of free-market capitalism? Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Member Reviews
A very complicated story... - Cricri7
This documentary does an okay job at explaining what happened with the Enron company a couple of years back. It is a very complicated industry and the demise of Enron is complex to explain. Since it is very complex to explain, this documentary tries to alleviate the complexity by relating the human faillures, not just the business ones, of these men. I enjoyed the documentary but it could have been a little more serious and a little less MTV.Shocking, must-see documentary! - devoted2denny
This was the documentary that changed my mind about documentaries. I used to think they were a boring waste of time, but Enron has opened my eyes by exposing the behind-the-scenes tragedy that lead up to the Enron scandal.
Although I have the greatest of respect and hope for human generosity, this film also reminds us that we can so easily be crushed by the Greed of corporate America. We need to be cautious, we need to analyze what we're told, and we need to question our corporations when things look "too good to be true".
The saddest part is how many honest, hard-working people got trapped in this house of cards before it collapsed.Rich and Complex - NatashaF
Rich and complex, although maybe a little too complex at times. This doc shows the disgusting lengths people will go to for money - traders acting in ways that they know will cause real harm, the ultra-rich taking every last penny from the retirement funds of the working class - it's terrifying and awful. The filmmakers did a great job putting together the convoluted timeline, but there were too many moments where my partner and I were left wondering "I know those words were in Engligh, but what the heck did all that mean?" A little more simplification was needed for some of the complicated financial concepts, and a little less distracting cinematography (focusing on the reflection of faces on tables, running numbers over faces as they are speaking).
Member Reviews
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A very complicated story... - Cricri7
This documentary does an okay job at explaining what happened with the Enron company a couple of years back. It is a very complicated industry and the demise of Enron is complex to explain. Since it is very complex to explain, this documentary tries to alleviate ...Shocking, must-see documentary! - devoted2denny
This was the documentary that changed my mind about documentaries. I used to think they were a boring waste of time, but Enron has opened my eyes by exposing the behind-the-scenes tragedy that lead up to the Enron scandal.
Although I have the greatest ...Rich and Complex - NatashaF
Rich and complex, although maybe a little too complex at times. This doc shows the disgusting lengths people will go to for money - traders acting in ways that they know will cause real harm, the ultra-rich taking every last penny from the retirement funds ...