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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Play trailer Poster for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room R 2005 1h 53m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 117 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
This documentary explores the fall of the Enron Corporation, arguably the most shocking example of modern corporate corruption. The company is linked with several illegal schemes, including instigating the California energy crisis as a way to drive up utility prices at the expense of the average American. In a hyper-competitive environment, Enron traders resort to all kinds of underhanded dealings in order to make money at any cost and keep their high-paying jobs.
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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

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Critics Consensus

A concise, entertaining documentary about the spectacular failure of Enron.

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Critics Reviews

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Martin Hoyle Financial Times 10/07/2018
Gibney's film never forgets the human side: the macho execs nearly killing themselves on boys' vacations with motorbikes, sky-diving and general risk-enhanced bonding; the suicide of one, the scapegoat imprisonment of another. Go to Full Review
Victoria Segal New Statesman 09/26/2017
... Enron: the smartest guys in the room pinpoints a moment when corporate morality was shredded like so many tonnes of incriminating documents in a big business run by small, small men. Go to Full Review
David Ansen Newsweek 11/01/2007
Audiences jeered and shouted at the screen in outrage. It has that kind of impact, without resorting to any of Michael Moore's below-the-belt tactics. Go to Full Review
Michael Clark Epoch Times 11/18/2023
4.5/5
In addition to being one of the most talented documentarian filmmakers alive, Mr. Gibney was also wise enough to recognize there was no need for dramatic or comedic overcooked embellishment here. Go to Full Review
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 05/09/2009
B+
This essential documentary skillfully maps out the shady "mark to market" accounting device that the men who called themselves "the smartest guys in the room" used to commit corporate fraud on a colossal scale. Go to Full Review
Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review 08/07/2008
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 Nov 21 Real footage in 01 hour, 49 minutes, and 15 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Some Nudity and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $4,100,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Copyright 2005-2025 Magnolia Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Jonathan K Aug 31 It’s packed with all the "gory" details and horrific actions you’d expect from a doc of this sort, so if you’re here for a history lesson, it does the job. But it’s not exactly well-crafted cinema, even for a documentary. Not terrible, or anything -- just very “here’s the timeline of events, enjoy.” See more Leaburn O Jul 5 Feels strangely dated but a great cautionary tale of corporate greed and fraud. Enron happened just a few years before I joined the workforce and looking back, nothing had been learnt. It was no surprise that the financial crisis followed after eerily familiar behaviour in the subprime markets. Watched this one on DVD. See more Shael 12/26/2023 The devastation of taking investors money and doing absolutely nothing with that cash but to line their own pockets and sell a success story with fake stocks. See more Rory M 12/10/2023 Fine. Very interested in business. Found the narrative a bit all over the place. Maybe I don't have the context of following it at the time See more Nawt W 07/10/2023 A remarkably engaging documentary about how "the boys" were selling potential profits for 20 years with just their smiles, audacious demeanor, and a little bit of fraud. It's been almost twenty years, and the story of Enron doesn't even seem that unique anymore. There have been so many ludicrous stories of "fake it until you make it" and general accounting fraud incidents that the question of how they could think they would get away with this seems foolish. Moreover, some of them got away with it. Everyone sentenced for this has since been released. Lou Pai has been affected at all, and Jeff Skilling is doing energy trading again. And what has changed since anyway? Everyone still fabricates numbers and facts to keep that share price high because that's paramount to success. Corporate ethics or lack thereof are still toxic just in a more refined way. Likewise, everything is still run by people who will go to their graves before they acknowledge that they prioritize their bottom line and hundreds of millions in offshore accounts over tens of thousands of employees. See more Read all reviews
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Burn, Baby, Burn Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Burn, Baby, Burn 2:51 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Something Didn't Add Up Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Something Didn't Add Up 2:49 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - The Definition of Wrong Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - The Definition of Wrong 2:33 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Bankruptcy Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Bankruptcy 2:22 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Perception of Demand Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Perception of Demand 2:15 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Useful Idiots Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Useful Idiots 2:54 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - The Ship Is Sinking Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - The Ship Is Sinking 2:08 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Shredded Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Shredded 2:14 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - The Selfish Gene Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - The Selfish Gene 2:20 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Cliff's Exit Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Official Clip - Cliff's Exit 1:43 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary explores the fall of the Enron Corporation, arguably the most shocking example of modern corporate corruption. The company is linked with several illegal schemes, including instigating the California energy crisis as a way to drive up utility prices at the expense of the average American. In a hyper-competitive environment, Enron traders resort to all kinds of underhanded dealings in order to make money at any cost and keep their high-paying jobs.
Director
Alex Gibney
Producer
Alex Gibney, Jason Kliot, Susan Motamed
Screenwriter
Alex Gibney
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
HDNet
Rating
R (Some Nudity|Language)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 22, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 31, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.1M
Runtime
1h 53m
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