Thought this film was reasonable,it gave me a better understanding of what really happened....and i would suggest to anyone who is not clear as to the reason for Enrons demise,that they watch this film and get wise. I will be buying Brian Cruver's book as i think he should at least make a little cash out of all this!
15 Reviews
Greed is bad.
Go_Blue_996 January 2003
This movie is a decently entertaining depiction of the fall of Enron, which was one of our nation's leading companies. It's based on the point of view of a recent University of Texas MBA grad, who gets hired in the bankruptcy division of Enron. For people who didn't follow the scandal, the movie does a solid job of illustrating why greed led to Enron's demise. With shareholders and upper management demanding better numbers (and thus better stock value), everyone was under pressure to cook the books.
There is some comedy in the movie (the Arthur Anderson audit team is always playing nerf basketball or computer golf; one of the characters gets a job at Worldcom after being laid off at Enron). However, being a TV movie, there is not much time for character depth. Did anyone really feel for the woman who lost her college savings in Enron stock? Also, I understand the producers were looking for star power, but Shannon Elizabeth did not belong in this movie. She is far too pretty to be playing a down-to-earth farm girl who hates the glamorous life her fiance brings her. Overall, this is a watch able movie for those that are interested in business.
There is some comedy in the movie (the Arthur Anderson audit team is always playing nerf basketball or computer golf; one of the characters gets a job at Worldcom after being laid off at Enron). However, being a TV movie, there is not much time for character depth. Did anyone really feel for the woman who lost her college savings in Enron stock? Also, I understand the producers were looking for star power, but Shannon Elizabeth did not belong in this movie. She is far too pretty to be playing a down-to-earth farm girl who hates the glamorous life her fiance brings her. Overall, this is a watch able movie for those that are interested in business.
THE BRIAN CRUVER STORY
nogodnomasters11 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The movie is about Brian Cruver who hired on to Enron in 2001. His life at Enron runs parallel to the company as he over extends his credit based on future earnings. About the best thing you can say about the movie is it shows us how the microcosm reflects the macrocosm, or vice-versa. This is a dummy down version of what happened.
It is not political, nor does it do justice to havoc Enron did to the world, but rather focused on a small group of people in one department and how it affected their lives, including buying more Enron stock as it was tanking because they were all drinking Enron Kool-aid. Don't expect a hard hitting docudrama.
This is a rather lame, made for TV type movie, which also focuses on how Enron ruined "the relationship." Mike Farrell (Alan Alda light) gives us a stinker of a performance as Ken Lay, clearly miscast for the role.
It is not political, nor does it do justice to havoc Enron did to the world, but rather focused on a small group of people in one department and how it affected their lives, including buying more Enron stock as it was tanking because they were all drinking Enron Kool-aid. Don't expect a hard hitting docudrama.
This is a rather lame, made for TV type movie, which also focuses on how Enron ruined "the relationship." Mike Farrell (Alan Alda light) gives us a stinker of a performance as Ken Lay, clearly miscast for the role.
Go, go, go then going, going, gone
vchimpanzee6 January 2003
Warning: Spoilers
This story of the Enron scandal is told from the standpoint of new employee Brian Cruver (it is never made clear whether he was a real person, but it doesn't really matter). Cruver learns quickly what is expected of Enron employees and how they can get rich. What he isn't told is that the people getting rich are doing it by falsifying numbers and making everything look good with future projected earnings. Cruver works in a department that has introduced a new kind of insurance: insurance against bankruptcy of a company or, say, one of its major customers. The question was probably never asked in real life but it is one of the many comments that seems humorous in light of the scandal's outcome: What if Enron goes bankrupt? Cruver becomes a real go-getter and, in one scene, it's really exciting to watch him pitch his product to a reluctant customer. Unfortunately, he is making it big at the expense of his relationship with his fiancee. He buys a big car, a big TV, everything he thinks he needs for happiness, with money he doesn't really have (just like Enron). He also takes his fiancee to a wild party; former strippers and skimpy dress seem all too common at this go-go-go company. Eventually, Cruver discovers that his superiors have been changing his numbers to make things look good, and while he is outraged, he doesn't really try to play the hero. Mike Farrell plays a bad guy for a change, Enron chairman Ken Lay, but he never comes across as a bad guy and is actually charming early in the movie but serious later. I was disappointed we didn't get to see him behind the scenes (the focus is really on the low-level employees); we were only shown his public face--his statements to the press and his speeches to employees--plus one scene with a whistleblower. I thought he did well in the role. An outstanding performance (as usual) was given by Brian Dennehy, who appears all too briefly as one of the top Enron employees and a friend of Cruver's father (though, ironically, he didn't seem to be behind Cruver's hiring). Two words you don't normally hear on network TV are spoken--one by the Enron CEO to the press, so apparently it is public record that he said it. Otherwise, that would have been gratuitous. (The word is repeated by a shocked Enron employee watching on TV). The other dirty word is spoken by Dennehy in a private conversation, though once the barrier has been broken, I guess anything goes. Overall, the language is not too bad. If you have been on Mars for two years the following is a SPOILER: Eventually everything at Enron must come crashing down. There are suspicions at first, some voiced by an old friend of Cruver's on Wall Street. Dennehy explains to Cruver, in that conversation where he used the bad word, that he knew about something that wasn't right. POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR ANYONE: In fact, Dennehy was transferred to a less desirable job, though he still believes he is going to prison, apparently because he didn't really press the issue. As the bottom drops out of everything, most of the employees shown in the movie have a lot to lose. DEFINITE SPOILERS: One unbelievably perky employee with a Southern accent welcomed the new employees early in the movie and can't be sad no matter what, and she is the one who tells everyone to leave when it's all over, still just as perky as ever, and she is one of the few who gets to stay. But don't worry about Cruver: at the very end, he still has his wife, and he realizes that's really the important thing.
Awful, Awful, Awful
JadaDreams6 January 2003
As one of the victims of the whole Enron scandal, my mother forced me to watch this movie with her. How many times can I say awful? The script was so weak, using cliche after cliche. It seems as though the writers pieced this story together with a few articles on Enron. Watching the movie, we honestly were able to complete about half of the one-dimensional characters' lines and thoughts. I realize this was supposedly adapted from a book, but was the book this bad? I don't know what to say. Just terrible. The best thing about the movie? Shannon Elizabeth actually kept her clothes on. Other than that, this movie gets a big fat F.
Sad But True Story of Corporate Greed Run Wild
jabell6 January 2003
The Crooked E, The Unshredded Truth About Enron, was based on the true story of an Enron employee, Brian Cruver, the ink hardly dry on his MBA when he came to work for the self-proclaimed "greatest company in the world." He starts out as a wide-eyed innocent and soon becomes seduced by "the dark side of the force," becoming arrogant, deceptive, and greedy, buying a Lexus convertible, a $700 raincoat, and planning a $60,000 wedding, much to the dismay of his down-to-earth fiancee, who eventually leaves him. But as he begins to realize just what is happening there, he quickly becomes disillusioned and, by the time the company has gone belly-up, he has regained his integrity (to the point of destroying a contract that would have badly hurt the client) and his fiancee. This, incidentally, is a departure from the book, as Cruver marries about two months into his short stay at Enron.
Christian Kane has the momentous job of playing Cruver, as he appears in every scene except for a prologue which shows him as a child with "Mr. Blue," Brian Dennehey. He also does the narration and has a brief song while driving his new Lexus. And he does it all with dash and aplomb. If this very handsome, talented young actor, whom the camera loves, is not a superstar in the next couple of years, there is something radically wrong. Tony winner Dennehey is outstanding as an employee with a sad story to tell, and Mike Farrell presents Ken Lay as either an eternal optimist or a bald-faced liar or some of both.
I hope this will eventually come out on video or DVD as it's a keeper.
Christian Kane has the momentous job of playing Cruver, as he appears in every scene except for a prologue which shows him as a child with "Mr. Blue," Brian Dennehey. He also does the narration and has a brief song while driving his new Lexus. And he does it all with dash and aplomb. If this very handsome, talented young actor, whom the camera loves, is not a superstar in the next couple of years, there is something radically wrong. Tony winner Dennehey is outstanding as an employee with a sad story to tell, and Mike Farrell presents Ken Lay as either an eternal optimist or a bald-faced liar or some of both.
I hope this will eventually come out on video or DVD as it's a keeper.
It's not awful, but . . .
Elewis119521 February 2024
It's not really a story about Enron so much as about one person who got a job at Enron for the final few months before the company went under.
I knew someone who worked at Enron. She started out as a secretary but was very happy to have worked her way into the banking and investment side of the company. That was about a year before the company collapsed and I'd lost touch with her, but I've often wondered how she ended up. If she landed on her feet. I never knew her well, don't have her contact info.
There are probably a thousand stories about individual employees at Enron and how this changed things for them. It's hard to feel sorry for the individuals, when the investors were the real victims, but employees have stories too.
This made for TV movie, which I saw when it came out, was barely adequate. I made it through, but I didn't find it impressive. The Smartest Men in the Room is a far better and much more complete story about Enron.
I knew someone who worked at Enron. She started out as a secretary but was very happy to have worked her way into the banking and investment side of the company. That was about a year before the company collapsed and I'd lost touch with her, but I've often wondered how she ended up. If she landed on her feet. I never knew her well, don't have her contact info.
There are probably a thousand stories about individual employees at Enron and how this changed things for them. It's hard to feel sorry for the individuals, when the investors were the real victims, but employees have stories too.
This made for TV movie, which I saw when it came out, was barely adequate. I made it through, but I didn't find it impressive. The Smartest Men in the Room is a far better and much more complete story about Enron.
quite impressive
amiee276 January 2003
Warning: Spoilers
ok, well, theres really no way to give a spoiler for this movie, cause, unless you've been living in a hole for the last year or so, you know enron went under and why. however, this movie actually makes it pretty interesting and breathes life into what could have been a boring story about how to get by the SEC with accounting tricks. christian kane's acting is amazing in this movie and is truly above tv movie quality. the only real problem (in my eyes) is the slight level of predictablility in the romantic aspect of the story. the ending could have been a little more interesting, however this is no fault of the actors, just mediocre writing at this point, however overall, the movie held my interest and was actually rather good my rating: four of five stars
The ultimate in corporate greed.
triple811 September 2003
I had heard so much about the Enron scandel and was interested to see the movie about the in depth scandel of this crooked company that put money abouve the welfare of human beings.
The true story is itself an utter outrage and watching the movie I felt it did capture, at least the feeling of what it was like to be an enron employee and it also managed to convey the idealistic dreams so many had going into the company. It is HARD for me to review this movie for the very reason that I just don't know how accurate and true to life it was. I never worked for Enron or knew anyone who did but I have known people who were motivated by little more then greed in life-still I don't know why there was a love story gone wrong plot going on as well, I don't even know if the main character in this movie actually existed.
And though the movie did show a typical working day in an Enron employee's life I would have liked it to go into more depth about the ramifications of what happened and how it effected so manys' lives in really tragic ways. Of coarse we all know the story but I'd perhaps have liked to see interviews with REAL Enron employees, these incredible people who put so much of their lives into their work and were hurt so badly by individuals whose only motive was money. It is sad, it is tragic and even though I'm not sure about the accuracy of anything about the movie, it was so fast paced and involving, my attention WAS held almost automatically by the movie in general(it's the only movie I've seen on the Enron scandel and it keeps you watching). But I still think some things should have been different and rather then this one guy's relationship with his wife, the movie should have had real life interviews. The movie touched me but something tells me the real life ramifications of the Enron scandel were about quintuple what the movie showed. I would also have liked to have seen what the law was doing to punish the people responsible for this and how some of the people who lost so much were doing now.
The true story is itself an utter outrage and watching the movie I felt it did capture, at least the feeling of what it was like to be an enron employee and it also managed to convey the idealistic dreams so many had going into the company. It is HARD for me to review this movie for the very reason that I just don't know how accurate and true to life it was. I never worked for Enron or knew anyone who did but I have known people who were motivated by little more then greed in life-still I don't know why there was a love story gone wrong plot going on as well, I don't even know if the main character in this movie actually existed.
And though the movie did show a typical working day in an Enron employee's life I would have liked it to go into more depth about the ramifications of what happened and how it effected so manys' lives in really tragic ways. Of coarse we all know the story but I'd perhaps have liked to see interviews with REAL Enron employees, these incredible people who put so much of their lives into their work and were hurt so badly by individuals whose only motive was money. It is sad, it is tragic and even though I'm not sure about the accuracy of anything about the movie, it was so fast paced and involving, my attention WAS held almost automatically by the movie in general(it's the only movie I've seen on the Enron scandel and it keeps you watching). But I still think some things should have been different and rather then this one guy's relationship with his wife, the movie should have had real life interviews. The movie touched me but something tells me the real life ramifications of the Enron scandel were about quintuple what the movie showed. I would also have liked to have seen what the law was doing to punish the people responsible for this and how some of the people who lost so much were doing now.
Decent but I've already seen this before
WankerReviews24 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Watching this was like rewatching Boiler Room, but the acting isn't as good. Corporate guy feels bad for scamming a client and tries to help by going against the company. Been there done that. Except the lead character is more stupid, and his actions don't make sense. On one hand he doesn't like the company's shady tactics, but on the other he spends ridiculous money on random things to impress his coworkers. Christian Kane does a decent job, but you can tell his acting chops are limited. Didn't like the narration either. There isn't any emotional weight in the line delivery from these characters. At least it wasn't as vulgar as Wolf of Wall Street.
Harsh reality depicted spot on!
savedeternity114 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Going in, I was skeptical of a film wholly devoted to bashing the successful American Company allegedly gone rogue. But it didn't take long for me to delve into this expose! Cruver is played brilliantly by a young Christian Kane who takes us on a not so fun joyride chronicling his desire for job success as it rages against his not so lofty dreams for a successful marriage. His portrayal of the naive Cruver, as he morphs into someone he doesn't even recognize, and his ultimate realization of what really matters, is a much needed glimmer of light amidst the dark hole that was Enron.
A great story of a really terrible company
Mason96 January 2003
This movie was a true tale of the rise and fall of one of the top ten companies in the world. The reason for the fall? None other than GREED. The story is told through the eyes of a former employee who had first had info in the dealing. This movie had several great actor in it from Brian Denny to Shannon Elizabeth who role of an Enron Mans woman is the best she done to date. The role of salesman was played by upstart actor Anthony Hibbs and was a true testament to how sales should be done. The entire movie goes into great detail to how the plan was executed and how it fell apart. This movie is a true must see!
"BASED" on one man's TRUE STORY
jimmiemary24 March 2024
They probably needed better promo for this movie that made it a bit more clear, that it is a movie about the true life story of Brian Culver, not an overall story about what happened at Enron.
This is from the point of view of one and his experience in the company. I am sure there was much more to his story that could not be fit into the time frome of the length of a movie.
"Anatomy of Greed" (2002) You may want to check it out!
I went into thinking I wasn't going to like it. I wasn't interested in what happened at Enron, but I am a #Kaniac= fan of Christian Kane, so I gave it watch!!
I enjoyed it more than expected! Love Brian Dennehy as well!.
This movie may be a little slow going for people of today (2024) So folks need to take that into consideration when viewing, that it was made in 2003 and the story is based around one man!
Christian Kane as always rocked his role! I highly recommend it!
This is from the point of view of one and his experience in the company. I am sure there was much more to his story that could not be fit into the time frome of the length of a movie.
"Anatomy of Greed" (2002) You may want to check it out!
I went into thinking I wasn't going to like it. I wasn't interested in what happened at Enron, but I am a #Kaniac= fan of Christian Kane, so I gave it watch!!
I enjoyed it more than expected! Love Brian Dennehy as well!.
This movie may be a little slow going for people of today (2024) So folks need to take that into consideration when viewing, that it was made in 2003 and the story is based around one man!
Christian Kane as always rocked his role! I highly recommend it!
Very basic TVM that will maybe work for people who can't get hold of a copy of Smartest Guys In The Room but few others
bob the moo4 August 2006
Having had ambitions since a being young man, Brian Cruver is fired up when he gets a desk at Enron one the largest companies in America. After taking a bit of time to come to terms with the approach and working style of the place, Cruver quickly settles in and makes a name for himself with some big deals, perhaps being helped a bit by knowing Mr Blue, one of the top men in the company.
With Kenneth Lay dead mere months after being found guilty, the Natwest Three becoming a major political football in UK/US relations and one of the bankers found dead six days after going missing, my interest in the subject was peaked enough to look back on this film from a few years ago. The downside of my timing was that I had already seen the imperfect but vastly superior Smartest Guy in the Room. As a documentary, this other film focuses on developing the main story and presenting it as clearly as possible. It also benefits hugely from having access to the in-house video footage that this film can only dramatise. Conversely this film takes a dramatisation path that means by default it has to focus on the made-up character of Cruver and his story as much as on the story of Enron. To some viewers this will work but I suggest that these people have not seen Smartest Guys.
This film does a so-so job of explaining the story but it is happy to do it in massive jumps and simplifications that don't give you the time to let them sink in more than you need to keep Cruver's story moving forward. It delivers the impact of the story pretty basically as well having women crying about their lost money etc. The focus on Cruver doesn't really work because you can't shake the feeling (the knowledge) that his story is infinitely less interesting than the wider story of the corporation and its impact on business. It is made weaker by the TVM style delivery which works "best" overdoing the soapy emotion of the tale but cannot cope with the complex case and the wider ramifications. The direction is so-so and the budget limited although in fairness Smartest Guys used the real offices and real footage, so this can't compare.
The cast are roundly weak, which isn't that much of a surprise. Kane is bland and never convinces no matter what his character is going through. Sure his material isn't that good but his performance is no better. Elizabeth is a "big name" in this film and to the vast majority of us alarm bells will be ringing she has little to do either way. Dennehy turns in with a poor character that is used to explain things in the place of a decent script and his lack of interest is writ large across his performance. The rest of the cast are so-so at best but few convince and Farrell and Wynne are particularly weak.
Overall this is an entry-level film if you are looking to learn more about power, corporations much better is Smartest Guys. In the absence of that film this might be worth a look but it is hard to get a lot of value from this very soapy approach. Works as daytime fodder but the truth deserves much, much more than this.
With Kenneth Lay dead mere months after being found guilty, the Natwest Three becoming a major political football in UK/US relations and one of the bankers found dead six days after going missing, my interest in the subject was peaked enough to look back on this film from a few years ago. The downside of my timing was that I had already seen the imperfect but vastly superior Smartest Guy in the Room. As a documentary, this other film focuses on developing the main story and presenting it as clearly as possible. It also benefits hugely from having access to the in-house video footage that this film can only dramatise. Conversely this film takes a dramatisation path that means by default it has to focus on the made-up character of Cruver and his story as much as on the story of Enron. To some viewers this will work but I suggest that these people have not seen Smartest Guys.
This film does a so-so job of explaining the story but it is happy to do it in massive jumps and simplifications that don't give you the time to let them sink in more than you need to keep Cruver's story moving forward. It delivers the impact of the story pretty basically as well having women crying about their lost money etc. The focus on Cruver doesn't really work because you can't shake the feeling (the knowledge) that his story is infinitely less interesting than the wider story of the corporation and its impact on business. It is made weaker by the TVM style delivery which works "best" overdoing the soapy emotion of the tale but cannot cope with the complex case and the wider ramifications. The direction is so-so and the budget limited although in fairness Smartest Guys used the real offices and real footage, so this can't compare.
The cast are roundly weak, which isn't that much of a surprise. Kane is bland and never convinces no matter what his character is going through. Sure his material isn't that good but his performance is no better. Elizabeth is a "big name" in this film and to the vast majority of us alarm bells will be ringing she has little to do either way. Dennehy turns in with a poor character that is used to explain things in the place of a decent script and his lack of interest is writ large across his performance. The rest of the cast are so-so at best but few convince and Farrell and Wynne are particularly weak.
Overall this is an entry-level film if you are looking to learn more about power, corporations much better is Smartest Guys. In the absence of that film this might be worth a look but it is hard to get a lot of value from this very soapy approach. Works as daytime fodder but the truth deserves much, much more than this.
Read the other reviews
triple811 September 2003
A few minutes ago I submitted a review of this television movie and one thing I said was I didn't know whether the main character ever really existed or not. Then I read some of the other reviews and saw he did-that this was based on a true story of one of the Enron employees. I'm glad to know the main character wasn't fictionized so that definetly brings the movie up a point or 2 but I still wish they'd gone into more character depth with some of the other Enron employees.
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