Remember that Enron made-for-TV movie I mentioned a few days ago. The Sunday Chron has a review of the book on which it’s based. I wouldn’t prepare an Emmy speech if I were Brian Cruver. Here are a couple of bits from the review:
Cruver’s writing relies heavily on cliché and superlatives, however, as he talks about his new colleagues.
“These people had money. Lots of money. And soon I would have lots of money, too.”
He later gushes about the extremes of wealth and debauchery at the company: “It was top-down sports cars and top-off dancers. It was river rafting trips and River Oaks Country Club. It was the American dream to an extreme.”
I’m trying not to giggle.
A co-worker, Liz, is used to introduce Enron’s cultural history, such as the sexual proclivities of top executives, the large bonuses and how the infamous “rank and yank” employee review program works. Bernie Bickers, a stock-analyst friend who calls frequently to complain to Cruver about Enron’s confusing accounting, serves as the voice of warning throughout.
And a character named “Mr. Blue” is used to impart the moral of the story: Don’t sell your soul for money. Mr. Blue, a senior Enron executive Cruver knows from his pre-Enron days, meets with him over drinks throughout the book to warn him about the financial and spiritual decay of the company.
Anyone want to bet that the movie will use narrator voice-overs? I can already hear some of it. Get the popcorn ready, this could be as entertaining as one of the Poseidon Adventure sequels.