Ryan Phillippe, Tim Robbins, Rachael Leigh Cook, Claire Forlani
High tech doesn't equal high tension in this tedious thriller about skulduggery in the software industry. How scary can it be when the movie's biggest fright comes from sesame seeds? Antitrust's hero (Phillippe) is severely allergic to them and late in the story fears a possible adversary has purposely mixed them into a meal he's about to be served. By this point, the viewer is so desperate for this meandering movie to end that the temptation is to shout, "Open—and eat—sesame!"
Phillippe's character is a hotshot young programmer who is recruited from Stanford to work at N.U.R.V., a software behemoth in Portland, Ore., that is being investigated by the Justice Department and Congress on monopoly charges. He quickly discovers that creating killer apps isn't the only lethal business in which the corporation excels. At the center of the murderous doings is Gary Winston (Robbins), N.U.R.V.'s ambitious billionaire founder. This sleek geek, a megalomaniacal creep with Bill Gates's taste in jeans and eyewear, is the movie's most amusing creation. As slyly played by Robbins, he enlivens things whenever he's onscreen, which isn't nearly enough. (PG-13)
Bottom Line: Hit the reset button
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