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The Informers
Ensemble drama written by Brett Easton Ellis set in hedonistic, morally bankrupt early 1980s LA
Adapted from a collection of Brett Easton Ellis vignettes, The Informers is an ensemble drama set in early 1980s LA, amid the morally bankrupt decadence of the Hollywood party crowd. The plot loosely follows a cheating producer (Billy Bob Thornton), his trophy wife (Kim Basinger) and their troubled son. Also stars Mickey Rourke and Winona Ryder.
Wendy Ide, the Times: Directed by Gregor Jordan, Ellis's aimlessly dissolute collection of stories just doesn't hang together as a coherent whole. The message is as subtle as a dodgy nose job: "I want someone to tell me what's good. And I want someone to tell me what's bad," bleats coked-up trust fund party boy Graham (Jon Foster). This one-note adaptation serves as a fairly neat example of the latter. (Verdict: two stars out of five)
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times: Pills are popped; sex is notched (on gay or straight bedposts); the cool art of prattle passes for meaningful conversation. Yet where the book was sometimes brilliant in its ironised inanity, the film is merely lacquered and starrily cast. Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke and Winona Ryder glitter away, while the tale's tanned and teeming youngsters are nameless and interchangeable. (Verdict: three stars out of five) ·
