I think the movie and the book, which is written like a high school level persuasive essay, definitely puts many of the things corporations do to the mindless innocent masses in a positive light. It also made me want to forget all those bad things I heard about high fructose corn syrup, dangerous food additives, America’s dire health concerns and rising addiction to prescription drugs among other things, without mentioning more than a few actual facts.(this of course is sarcasm much along the lines of what you’d see if you watched the movie) The main point of the movie is about something completely fictional, The price fixing of food additives, something that does not have to be price fixed if you understand anything about the industry. Commodities can be and ARE price fixed, raw materials, like gasoline. Assembled compounds like food additives are to increase food sales. They are added regardless of foreign competition regardless of price, and trust me they consider it worth while. Additives often make the product addictive so that the body cannot satisfy it’s cravings. (many countries around the world don’t allow poisonous food additives as America and many other “Modern” societies do). Also, The lack of “co-operation” between the FBI and large corporations was appalling, the So called “mental disorder” of the main character evidenced by interjecting stupid dialogue every time he has a conversation, seems like grabbing at straws to me. It looks to me like a few corporate heads are still sore about what went on, so much that an example needed to be made, in case anything like that were to happen again. I laughed at how hard the writers/directors tried to cast the lead character as brainless and dopey but not in a good way, this movie made me truly sick to my stomach. But I’m sure it was exactly what was ordered in this time of bailouts and payoffs. In my opinion I think this movie was bought and paid for with the intention of scaring any informants which may be surfacing in our day and age. Maybe they will get the message, so long as they fear the consequence of being another Mark Whittaker.

I also read the book and it just seemed preposterous that Whitaker took the risks that he did and didn’t seem to realize that even though he was a whistleblower he was still not on the up and up with so many other things.

I saw the movie with a friend who didn’t read the book and she was dumbfounded by what happened.

I don’t think the FBI did their homework as thoroughly as they could which also made the movie unbelievable. Through the years we’ve seen the FBI make mistakes. No entity is perfect. The movie did follow the book pretty much. The author did an amazing job of research.

Both the movie and book allude to mental illness but the movie is more blatant about it.

I thought Matt Damon did a great acting job. After reading the book he fit the person I imagined and apparently gained 30 or 40 pounds for the role.

1. The book had a serious tone, so when I saw the previews of the movie and that it was being marketed as a comedy – I was in shock. I can see where they got the idea to have a comedy because the things Mark did were unbelievable — something only someone very cocky would do. To describe Mark as “cocky” would be accurate. My memories of him from school are that hewas Mr. Happy-go-lucky without a care in the world. He had high energy and was our “class clown”. He was so popular that he was elected our Senior class president. Everyone loved him. His confidence had to be very high.

2. The FBI in the book were very professional and methodical. They, too, were in disbelief that Mark did what he did. The scene where he was checking wires in his briefcase and in the lamp were portrayed in the book and they could not believe he was “jeopardizing” the operation by being so cavalier.

3. Whether mark is bi-polar? Who knows. I am not a doctor and cannot diagnose.