The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Ambition earns the room.”
The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.
Back to trending 
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Documentary · 2005
A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
Movie details
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
“It’s just business.”
2005 Documentary 1h 50m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.2 / 10
Community rating
A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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The background and career of Tony Parker, whose determination led him to become arguably the greatest French basketball player.
The Shock Doctrine
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An investigation of "disaster capitalism", based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
Come See Me in the Good Light
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The China Hustle
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An unsettling and eye-opening Wall Street horror story about Chinese companies, the American stock market, and the opportunistic greed behind the biggest heist you've never heard of.
McQueen
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Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.
To Kill a Tiger
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Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
We Live in Public
Documentary · 2009
In 1999, Internet entrepreneur Josh Harris recruits dozens of young men and women who agree to live in underground apartments for weeks at a time while their every movement is broadcast online. Soon, Harris and his girlfriend embark on their own subterranean adventure, with cameras streaming live footage of their meals, arguments, bedroom activities, and bathroom habits. This documentary explores the role of technology in our lives, as it charts the fragile nature of dot-com economy.
MoviePass, MovieCrash
Documentary · 2024
Exploring the company founding and the implosion of the business by outside investors who took over the company, left it bankrupt and under investigation.
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
Documentary · 2015
When Steve Jobs died the world wept. But what accounted for the grief of millions of people who didn’t know him? This evocative film navigates Jobs' path from a small house in the suburbs, to zen temples in Japan, to the CEO's office of the world's richest company, exploring how Jobs’ life and work shaped our relationship with the computer. The Man in the Machine is a provocative and sometimes startling re-evaluation of the legacy of an icon.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Alex Gibney
Written by
Alex Gibney
Peter Coyote
Self - Narrator (voice)
J
John Beard
Self
J
Jim Chanos
Self
Dick Cheney
Self
C
Carol Coale
Self
Gray Davis
Self
R
Reggie Dees II
Self
Court is in session
Put Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Importance has entered the chat.”
The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.