Movie Review (Antitrust)

Antitrust is a 2001 thriller film written by Howard Franklin and directed by Peter Howitt. Starring Ryan Phillippe, Tim Robbins, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Claire Forlani.

Anti-Microsoft crusaders, "Antitrust" is your movie! If you think Microsoft has an unfair marketplace advantage that has been shaped by anti-competitive actions, believe their operating systems and software applications are technologically-inferior, believe that CEO Bill Gates is the Devil-incarnate, or if you simply can't stand that animated paper clip that keeps popping up without warning, then you will have a ball with director Peter Howitt's ("Sliding Doors") latest effort, "Antitrust". Though it is little more than a cliché-ridden conspiracy thriller rife with gaping plot holes, the shots it takes at the software behemoth, as well as Tim Robbins' ("Mission to Mars") moustache-twirling portrayal of Bill Gates, salvage this lackluster effort from complete obscurity.

Indicative as to how quickly the 'New Economy' has cooled since "Antitrust" was in production, the story has brilliant computer whizzes Milo Hoffman (Ryan Phillippe of "Cruel Intentions") and Teddy Chin (Yee Jee Tso) about to start their own software company out of a garage, backed by venture capitalists who are lining up to give them seed money. However, Milo is also being courted by the charismatic CEO of multi-billion-dollar software giant NURV (which stands for 'Never Underestimate Radical Vision'), Gary Winston (Robbins), and is offered a lucrative programming position. Apparently, Winston's 'Synapse' project, which will allow limitless transmission of voice and data anywhere in the world through a network of satellites, is behind schedule, and only Milo has the smarts to finish it on time. At the urging of his girlfriend Alice (Claire Forlani of "Mystery Men"), Milo decides to take Winston on his offer, and pretty soon, he's got his own cubicle at Microsoft, I mean, NURV.


It's unfortunate that the Howard Franklin ("The Man Who Knew Too Little") script descends to this level of implausibility, since using the Microsoft-DOJ antitrust case as the basis for a film is full of dramatic possibilities. One missed opportunity in "Antitrust" was to explore the theme of 'corporations as cults', as in how a persuasive and idealistic company executive can hold sway over so many to act against their own better judgement. For example, the early history of Apple Computer, under the leadership of Steve Jobs, bordered on cult-like behavior. Even exploring the mundane details of the Microsoft-DOJ case, such as how evidence was gathered by the DOJ and how Microsoft tried to spin each new damaging revelation, is rife with compelling drama, as in how the made-for-TV "Pirates of Silicon Valley" was engaging in how it depicted the long-standing rivalry between Microsoft and Apple.
However, there are some merits to "Antitrust", particularly in how it tries very hard to make NURV look like Microsoft, and how much fun it looks like Tim Robbins is having in playing one of the most maligned Fortune 500 CEOs in the world. Robbins' portrayal of Bill Gates, I mean Gary Winston, is an interesting mixture of charismatic visionary and megalomania with a touch of psychosis. Robbins also seems to have studied hours and hours of Gates' public appearances, since he even gets the gestures and mannerisms right. Among the rest of the cast, the only other interesting actor to be found in "Antitrust" would be Claire Forlani, whose performance is heightened by the divided loyalties that her character is faced with. Ryan Phillippe is capable, but dull, as the film's protagonist, as is Rachel Leigh Cook, as his potential partner-in-crime.
Trust me when I tell you that "Antitrust" will appeal only to two distinct groups of moviegoers: those who absolutely can't get enough of Ryan Phillippe, and those who have it in for Microsoft and Bill Gates. Only these two demographic groups will be able to stand the paint-by-numbers script and the incredible leaps of logic necessary to suspend disbelief.