Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

R 20 May 2005 • Documentary, Biography, History • 1h 50m
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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.

Alex Gibney
Director
Alex Gibney, Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind
Writer
John Beard, Tim Belden, Barbara Boxer
Starring

Language: English, Romanian
Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar. 3 wins & 11 nominations total
Country: United States
Metacritic Score:
DVD Release Date:
Box Office Total: $4,071,700

7.6

IMDb (20347 votes)
97%
Rotten Tomatoes
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