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S8.E22
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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

  • Episode aired Oct 13, 2005
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
Home Video Trailer from Magnolia Home Entertainment
Play trailer2:05
1 Video
6 Photos
Documentary
Corporate audio and videotapes tell the inside story of the scandal involving one company's manipulation of California's energy supply and its, and how its executives wrung a billion dollars... Read allCorporate audio and videotapes tell the inside story of the scandal involving one company's manipulation of California's energy supply and its, and how its executives wrung a billion dollars out of the resulting crisis.Corporate audio and videotapes tell the inside story of the scandal involving one company's manipulation of California's energy supply and its, and how its executives wrung a billion dollars out of the resulting crisis.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Alex Gibney
  • Writers
    • Bethany McLean(book "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron")
    • Peter Elkind(book "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron")
    • Alex Gibney
  • Stars
    • Kenneth Lay
    • Peter Coyote
    • John Beard
  • Director
    • Alex Gibney
  • Writers
    • Bethany McLean(book "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron")
    • Peter Elkind(book "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron")
    • Alex Gibney
  • Stars
    • Kenneth Lay
    • Peter Coyote
    • John Beard
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 74User reviews
    • 219Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
    Trailer 2:05
    Watch Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

    Photos6

    Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
    Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
    Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
    Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
    Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kenneth Lay
    Kenneth Lay
    • Self
    Peter Coyote
    Peter Coyote
    • Narrator
    John Beard
    • Self
    Barbara Boxer
    Barbara Boxer
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    George W. Bush
    George W. Bush
    • Self
    James Chanos
    James Chanos
    • Self
    • (as Jim Chanos)
    Dick Cheney
    Dick Cheney
    • Self
    Bill Clinton
    Bill Clinton
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Carol Coale
    • Self
    Gray Davis
    Gray Davis
    • Self
    Reggie Dees II
    • Young man the stripper dances in front of
    • (as Reggie Deets II)
    Joseph Dunn
    • Self
    Max Eberts
    Max Eberts
    • Self
    Peter Elkind
    Peter Elkind
    • Self
    Andrew Fastow
    Andrew Fastow
    • Self
    David Freeman
    • Self
    Philip Hilder
    • Self
    Al Kaseweter
    • Self
    • Director
      • Alex Gibney
    • Writers
      • Bethany McLean(book "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron")
      • Peter Elkind(book "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron")
      • Alex Gibney
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Among the protesters who disrupt the meeting with Jeff Skilling at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club is Marla Ruzicka, who was killed on 16 April 2005 in Iraq by a suicide bomber. She founded CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict) which worked to help the victims of the war in Iraq and she was a former Global Exchange activist.
    • Quotes

      Gray Davis: [upon being asked whether the rumors that he was responsible for the black outs in California are just a plot by the Republican party to get him recalled]

      [shouts]

      Gray Davis: Hello!

    • Crazy credits
      Special thanks includes "all the `Deep Throats' - you know who you are!"
    • Connections
      Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      What's He Building?
      Written by Tom Waits

      Jalma Music

      Performed by Tom Waits

      Courtesy of Anti/Epitaph Records

    User reviews74

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    'Twas hubris killed the beast
    The chief characters in the Enron debacle all seemed to be functioning on the same mantra, that Gordon Gekko line from "Wall Street" (1987) that epitomized the 1980s: "Greed, for the lack of a better word, is good." Except what Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling and Andy Fastow did wasn't in the 1980s, but in this century and they blithely and without any compunction did it for personal gain while tens of thousands were left with nothing.

    The Enron scandal was a tough one to understand, at least to me it was, because you could never quite figure out what Enron did. And director Alex Gibney breaks it all down matter-of-factly, never taking sides, never being judgmental, to show us what happened. Of course, he really doesn't need to be judgmental because the actions of Lay, Skilling and Fastow (and a few others) speak volumes.

    Gibney's film very well could have been a convoluted mess. But he never loses sight of the fact that this is essentially a story about people. Not only the masters of the universe whose hubris eventually brought them down but, more importantly, the people whose livelihoods depended on what Lay, Fastow and Skilling did and who, unlike those three, didn't have millions to fall back on.

    It's impossible not to feel incensed by what they did. Lay, Fastow and Skilling destroyed countless lives, yet they left with millions. There's a moment when Lay bemoans that his net worth dipped from $20 million to, I believe, $6 million. Yeah, tell that to the Oregonian utility worker, whose $340,000 nest egg was eventually only worth $1,200 after Enron stock tumbled in the wake of the scandal.

    What's ultimately devastating about this film is listening to the tapes of Enron traders joking about how they were holding California hostage and letting people there suffer without electricity. These chaps are cold, callous and exemplify the Enron environment.

    This is a fascinating film because it exposes these guys for who they are. And after listening to those interviewed in this film, it's impossible to believe Lay and Skilling were somehow oblivious to it all. How else could you explain why they insisted Enron employees invest in the company stock while they themselves were cashing out?

    What's equally infuriating is realizing how Wall Street sucked up to Enron and how investment firms turned on anyone who dared to question Enron's power.

    Of course, it's not surprising at all to see Lay's connections to the Bush family. But I am certain Dubya really didn't know very well someone he called "Kenny Boy." Just as, I'm sure, W's photos with Jack Abramoff mean absolutely nothing, either.

    There's a moment in "Wall Street" when Bud Fox asks Gordon, "How much is enough?" And Gordon replies, "It's not a question of enough, pal. It's a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn't lost or made, it's simply transferred from one perception to another."

    That's exactly what Enron did under Lay and Skilling. Except they did it on the backs of tens of thousands of hard-working Americans who lost pretty much everything. I can only hope the American justice system does right by all those workers.
    helpful•3
    1
    • anhedonia
    • Jan 29, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 13, 2005 (Australia)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Enron: Rise and Fall
    • Filming locations
      • Houston, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • HDNet Films
      • Jigsaw Productions
      • 2929 Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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