Matt Damon plays Whitacre, who in 1992 blew the whistle on his employer, Archer Daniels Midland, fingering the agricultural company in what was then the largest price-fixing case in U.S. history. Warner Bros., the studio releasing the film, treated Whitacre and his wife, Ginger, to a screening of the movie in June on the Warner Bros. lot.
“We found it surreal. It was almost like it was another person. I was 35 then and I’m 52 now,” Whitacre said. “It was a messy story with a good ending.”
The movie shows how, after Whitacre informed the FBI of the company’s dealings, bipolar disorder got the better of him, causing him to spin increasingly elaborate lies. Whitacre was convicted of fraud and tax evasion charges and spent more than eight years in prison.
The film treats Whitacre’s story as a black comedy, and it got several laughs from an audience during a Monday screening in Newport, Ky. Whitacre says that’s appropriate. A “straight” version of his story might not have sold many tickets, he said.
“The movie’s more a dark comedy version, and they had to do that to commercialize it. It’s more in the tone of ‘Ocean’s 11’,” he said, referring to the crime caper starring Damon and George Clooney. Like “Ocean’s,” “The Informant!” was directed by Steven Soderbergh, who won a Best Director Oscar for “Traffic,” which was partly shot in Cincinnati.
Although “The Informant!” plays Whitacre’s exploits for laughs, Whitacre said he feels the film in no way denigrates mental illness and says Damon did a “fantastic job” playing him.
“The movie’s a lot about the mental illness. Bipolar disorder gets worse when you’re under pressure ... I did a lot of crazy stuff, and they’re showing that bizarre stuff,” he said. Most importantly, “The Informant!” shows how he and his wife survived their ordeal. Although Whitacre was never on the set, the filmmakers often asked Whitacre about the film’s accuracy.
“They never requested (I be on the set) and I never asked for it. It’s a story about a real family, and I think they were very professional. It’s an inspirational story about my family still being together,” Whitacre said.
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