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The main character in "The Informant!" is a corporate cog that goes undercover to spy on his company for the FBI. He remarks that he feels as though he's living two lives - that he's been split into two people. The film's director, Steven Soderbergh, may have chosen this project for that very reason. In a way, there are two Steven Soderberghs. There's the serious indie auteur who's bucked the mainstream with challenging films such as "Che", "Bubble" and "The Girlfriend Experience". And then there's the winking wiseguy who made a franchise out of "Ocean's Eleven".

"The Informant!", based on the book "The Informant (A True Story)" by Kurt Eichenwald, fits snugly in the latter category. In case you couldn't tell from the exclamation point, the playful Marvin Hamlisch score is a helpful hint. Then, though it takes place in the 90s, there's the use of a title font taken directly from a late 70s TV movie. Finally, there's the fact that the opening disclaimer ("some names have been changed", etc) ends with the phrase "so there".

So, yeah, it's a goof.

In fact, with its little-man-takes-on-big-business plot and twisty shifts in loyalty, the film could be called "Ocean's One".

That "One" is Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon, 30 pounds heavier), president of the bioproducts division at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Mark specializes in the production of lysine, an amino acid found in all sorts of store-bought products. One day, Mark discovers that there may be a saboteur who's planted a harmful virus in his manufacturing plant. This suspicion leads him to make a deal with two FBI agents played by Scott Bakula (cool!) and Joel McHale (okay?). Whether or not Mark is being truthful with the Feds is the fun of the movie. It's also what makes it a tad dull. From the very beginning, it's very clear who's zoomin' who. And by the end of the film, it's more "that's it?" than "that's it!"

Much credit needs to go to Mr. Damon, whose beautifully nuanced take on wide-eyed naiveté sells the movie. The actor, freed of his Jason Bourne brawn, has a ball as the ultimate milquetoast. His every open-mouthed glance, combined with a ceaseless voice-over of inspired banality (well done, screenwriter Scott Z. Burns), makes Mark a very watchable, if not entirely captivating, protagonist.

There's nothing wrong with this side of Mr. Soderbergh. The first "Ocean's" movie was goofy fun, as were "Out of Sight" and "The Limey". But when he's in this mode, the director has a tendency think "being funny" is funny in and of itself. It's like when the Coen Brothers try too hard to make "A Coen Brothers Movie" (ahem, "Intolerable Cruelty"). I, for one, am ready for the next Steven Soderbergh movie.

So there.