Freakonomics Headed to a Theater near You
Statistics on the silver screen!
Perhaps you've heard of Freakonomics, the bestselling book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, and thought it sounded interesting, but never found out, on account of how you're too lazy to read. Well, good news: now you never have to, because it's being made into a movie.
At first glance, the idea of a Freakonomics movie might sound as nutty as, say, a Monopoly movie; the book is, after all, about using statistics to prove or disprove a number of theories. Here, let's have Variety explain:
"Freakonomics" has sold more than 3 million copies by using economic theories to analyze issues ranging from whether Adam Vinatieri could realistically be called football's most clutch field goal kicker to more serious claims that teachers and sumo wrestlers cheat, that swimming pools are more dangerous to children than guns and that the drop in crime can be attributed to Roe v. Wade.
Not the most obvious choice for a film adaptation, in other words -- but producers Chad Troutwine and Seth Gordon have lined up a list of highly regarded documentarians, including Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), and Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight), to film 15-minute segments covering chapters from the book. Filming is scheduled to begin in January and end by summer. As Troutwine tells Variety:
"I stalked the authors for a year because I saw cinematic appeal to the book as soon as I read it...It showed that conventional wisdom should always be tested and never trusted, and that is what documentaries are all about."
At first glance, the idea of a Freakonomics movie might sound as nutty as, say, a Monopoly movie; the book is, after all, about using statistics to prove or disprove a number of theories. Here, let's have Variety explain:
"Freakonomics" has sold more than 3 million copies by using economic theories to analyze issues ranging from whether Adam Vinatieri could realistically be called football's most clutch field goal kicker to more serious claims that teachers and sumo wrestlers cheat, that swimming pools are more dangerous to children than guns and that the drop in crime can be attributed to Roe v. Wade.
Not the most obvious choice for a film adaptation, in other words -- but producers Chad Troutwine and Seth Gordon have lined up a list of highly regarded documentarians, including Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), and Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight), to film 15-minute segments covering chapters from the book. Filming is scheduled to begin in January and end by summer. As Troutwine tells Variety:
"I stalked the authors for a year because I saw cinematic appeal to the book as soon as I read it...It showed that conventional wisdom should always be tested and never trusted, and that is what documentaries are all about."
Related Items
| Movie: | Super Size Me |
| Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room | |
| Celeb: | Alex Gibney |
| Eugene Jarecki | |
| Morgan Spurlock | |
| Seth Gordon |
(1-12 of 12 posts) | Reply
 on Dec 06 2007 07:30 AM I loved Freakonomics. I read it alongside my Macroeconomics class and it was one of the most enlightening semesters I ever had. If Hollywood can successfully turn it into a kick-*** movie, then I say go for it. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 06 2007 08:20 AM When the hell did Morgan Spurlock becoming a "highly regarded documentarian?" The guy's a joke. Also, given Spurlock's past efforts, I wouldn't think he would be a very good choice since it actually requires, you know, analytical thinking. (Reply to this) |
 on Dec 06 2007 08:48 AM Uh, I guess it's a matter of opinion but Spurlock is not a joke, he's pretty funny and has an unserious manner about him but I find his style, films and that 30 days show to pretty cool. He is also an excellent fit for Freakonomics as a film, or at least a segment of it. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 06 2007 08:53 AM I think this is a great idea, as the book was a breath of fresh air to fincial geeks like myself, but since when is a book adaptation about looking at things from a different perspective considered a documentary? I think this term is way overused. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 06 2007 09:19 AM Morgan Spurlock is awesome. Can't wait to see this. (Reply to this) |
 on Dec 06 2007 09:56 AM Interesting -- not exactly Hollywood fare since the book leans to the right more than the left -- curious to see how it's made and if it's spun. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 06 2007 11:02 AM This summer, one film will change the way you eat / drink / sleep / think / LIVE All you have to do is roll the dice... Wilford Brimley IS Uncle Moneybags IN MONOPOLY: THE MOVIE Gather 'round, It's Game Time (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 06 2007 11:26 AM dahluzz, that was golden in a really horrible way. haven't read the book so i don't have an opinion, but now i want to. Spurlock is an entertaining guy, so this might be cool. still gotta get my hands on the paperback though. (Reply to this) |
 on Dec 06 2007 11:57 AM I thought the authors decided that they were wrong about Roe V. Wade causing a drop in crime and decided to instead attribute the drop in crime to a change in laws. Oh well still sounds like an interesting movie. (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 06 2007 12:38 PM Never read that in my recent edition, though I'm sure anti-abortion people would love to say that. I'm sure they got enough flak from them (and possible death threats) for them to issue a statement that it has the highest rate of correlation between any statistics they measured, but it doesn't mean it's guaranteed to be the right one. (Though it's VERY likely). (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 06 2007 02:29 PM i dont know if i agree with everything written in the book, but it was a very entertaining read and definately a different way to look at things. i would suggest blink and the tipping point by malcolm gladwell for people who enjoyed freakonmics... as for the movie version...eh, i think you lose something in the translation for book to screen... (Reply to this) |
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on Dec 06 2007 02:46 PM I'm glad they chose more than just one person for the job; it'll add a nice texture of variety. (Reply to this) |
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