Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room


Synopsis
Based on the book Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron , this documentary is a collection of interviews, internal corporate communications, and voice over narrative detailing what Enron was and what went horribly wrong.

Observations
I really appreciate a film that doesn’t dumb it’s content down to the lowest common denominator. But the filmmakers of this documentary assume that I know certain fundamental concepts (energy trading, futures, etc.) without explaining them. Because I didn’t have a solid understanding of these concepts at the start of the movie, I was confused on and off through most of the film. Someone with a background in trading or finance would probably not have felt the way I did.

The film overall was well done with interesting clips from Enron corporate functions, taped conversations, and interviews with former employees. The narration was through without being too heavy-handed.

If you don’t understand what happened during the California Energy Crisis of 2000 & 2001, this movie provides a comprehensive tutorial on what happened.

The movie makes a brief attempt to address the possibility that Lay, Skilling and/or Fastow may be evil. That type of moral discussion was not appropriate for this movie and didn’t fit with its straightforward traditional documentary format.

Rating:

Amazon's entry for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room