Freakonomics (2010)

We thought this documentary based on the best-selling book (that Jack loved and I have not read) was fun. Economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner's book examines "the hidden side of everything" (well, six things) and the movie covers four of them with humor, live action, animation, six directors, ten writers, and twenty producers (not the most--the current record-holder is 23). Director Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) which is one of Matt Groening's favorite documentaries, some episodes of some of my favorite TV comedies, and Four Christmases) creates the introductory and transitional segments. Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me (2004), 30 Days) narrates, as he usually does, the chapter called A Roshanda By Any Other Name, a fast-moving treatise on baby names in America, written by him and documentary producer Jeremy Chilnick (they made Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? (2008) together). The Alex Gibney (won Oscar for doc Taxi to the Dark Side (2007), also directed Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) and Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008), none of which I've seen) chapter, Pure Corruption, written by him and Peter Bull, is mostly about Sumo wrestling, with a little AIG and Lehman Brothers thrown in. In my opinion, it was the slowest. Then, the most controversial, It's Not Always a Wonderful Life, written and directed by Eugene Jarecki. I won't reveal the controversy just in case you haven't read the book. When the chapter concluded I realized the concept was familiar to me. And lastly, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Oscar nominated for Jesus camp (2006)--I meant to see it but didn't) write and direct the chapter Can a Ninth Grader Be Bribed to Succeed? The two ninth graders are appealing and their moms are good sports.

The transition segments with Dubner and Levitt holding court are entertaining, too, reminding me of something I read long ago: there are few things more fun than having someone ask you to talk about your passion. These guys are really smart, created their work, love their work, and do not take themselves seriously. They run an ongoing blog on the New York Times site. If you want to know more about the book, here's a wiki summary (it gives away the controversy above). Another interesting thing about this movie is that it was released online BEFORE theatrically, though we saw it in a traditional theatre. The DVD release date is unknown by netflix. We recommend this movie for smart people.