A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
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Title: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
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John Beard | ... | Self - Former Enron Accountant |
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Tim Belden | ... | Self (archive footage) |
| Barbara Boxer | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
| George W. Bush | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
| James Chanos | ... | Self - President, Kynikos Associates (as Jim Chanos) | |
| Dick Cheney | ... | Self | |
| Bill Clinton | ... | Self (archive footage) | |
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Carol Coale | ... | Self - Ex-Stock Analyst, Prudential Securities |
| Peter Coyote | ... | Narrator | |
| Gray Davis | ... | Self - Former Governor of California | |
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Reggie Dees II | ... | Self - Young man the stripper dances in front of (as Reggie Deets II) |
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Joseph Dunn | ... | Self - California State Senator |
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Max Eberts | ... | Self - Former Spokesman, Enron Energy Services |
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Peter Elkind | ... | Self - Co-Author, 'The Smartest Guys in the Room' |
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Andrew Fastow | ... | Self (archive footage) |
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
Enron dives from the seventh largest US company to bankruptcy in less than a year in this tale told chronologically. The emphasis is on human drama, from suicide to 20,000 people sacked: the personalities of Ken Lay (with Falwellesque rectitude), Jeff Skilling (he of big ideas), Lou Pai (gone with $250 M), and Andy Fastow (the dark prince) dominate. Along the way, we watch Enron game California's deregulated electricity market, get a free pass from Arthur Andersen (which okays the dubious mark-to-market accounting), use greed to manipulate banks and brokerages (Merrill Lynch fires the analyst who questions Enron's rise), and hear from both Presidents Bush what great guys these are. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Plot Keywords:
enron | corporation | accounting | accounting fraud | corporate crime |Taglines:
It's just business. See more »Parents Guide:
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[reads question from the floor]
Kenneth Lay: 'I would like to know if you are on crack, if so that would explain a lot. If not, you may want to start because it's going to be a long time before we trust you again.'
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Written by Tom Waits and Gregory Cohen
Jalma Music
Performed by Tom Waits
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Among the protesters who disrupt the meeting with Jeff Skilling at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club is Marla Ruzicka. The former Global Exchange activist founded CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict), which worked to help the victims of the war in Iraq. She died in Iraq on April 16, 2005, the victim of a suicide bombing. See more »Quotes
Kenneth Lay: [Q&A session with employees] All right, we are down to questions. And I got a few up here.[reads question from the floor]
Kenneth Lay: 'I would like to know if you are on crack, if so that would explain a lot. If not, you may want to start because it's going to be a long time before we trust you again.'
See more »
Soundtracks
Straight to the Top (Vegas)Written by Tom Waits and Gregory Cohen
Jalma Music
Performed by Tom Waits
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
See more »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
20 May 2005 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$76,639, 24 April 2005Gross USA:
$4,071,700Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$4,854,164Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
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Based on and named after the bestseller book Smartest Guys in the Room, this documentary provides an insightful look into the scandalous fall of Enron Corp. There are no actors in this documentary and yet it is dramatic. Such were the factors leading to the 'amazing rise and scandalous fall' of Enron that even a documentary featuring events preceding that historic day in December 2001, when Enron filed for the largest bankruptcy in the corporate US history, seems like a tale of epic imagination.
This documentary is neither as detailed nor as insightful as the book, but it does a great job of providing an insightful and reasonably detailed account of the Enron saga. Overall, it is not of any incremental value for the people who have read the book. However, if you can't go through 464 pages, this does a great job of enlightening you on the drama that Enron was.