'The Informers' review

Billy Bob Thornton and Kim Basinger (Credit: Senator)

In 1983 L.A., drug dealer Graham (Jon Foster) struggles with a sexually open relationship with his girlfriend (Amber Heard); Graham's dad (Billy Bob Thornton) tries to have it both ways with his girlfriend (Winona Ryder) and wife (Kim Basinger); and a hotel employee (Brad Renfro) copes with a kidnapping plot forced on him by his sleazy uncle (Mickey Rourke). These and other messed-up characters have ties to the movie, TV and music industries—yet spend much more time on drugs or on each other than watching or listening to anything. And you think you've got drama with your friends and family.

The buzz: Co-writer Bret Easton Ellis ("American Psycho," "Rules of Attraction") adapted his 1994 novel to take another glassy-eyed look at youth and wealth in the '80s. While that always results in some intriguing emotional devastation, this drama arrives with considerably less urgency: Seeing as Renfro passed away January '08, "Informers" must have been sitting on the studio shelf for a while.

The verdict: Director Gregor Jordan ("Ned Kelly") doesn't shape the ensemble story into anything, making "Informers" feel like a series of episodes instead of a complex web of detached unhappiness. Yet Ellis' characters hold it together, thanks to performances that tackle both the thrill and emptiness of celebrity and success. These are entertainment industry people unsure of how to handle their few loyalties and overdose of privilege, and the movie excels in the mysterious tension found when someone who doesn't care talks to someone who does.

Did you know? Movie exec William (Thornton) is very excited about an upcoming project about a 12-year-old who becomes President. Could anything possibly compel the American public to vote for a childish goofball not equipped to lead?

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