Company Men

I don't know much about business, but that doesn't mean it's hard to appreciate a good business movie. Despite a few dumbed down bits, The Company Men, comes with a feeling of authenticity with some heart and decent performances from everybody. That is good enough for me.

In a hundred minutes, The Company Men gives us a small taste of what The recession did to American business. It does so in a way that favours character over making anti-corporate statements. The movie chooses to zoom in on the lives of three sales executives and how they deal with job loss.

I've never been in love with Ben Affleck, but when he wants to, he can show some professionalism. In The Company Men he does just that, proving capable of hitting all the emotional notes when necessary, something I feel he missed in his previous film the Town.

The Company Men is actually a rather sad movie. It is only a hundred minute in length, but it feels longer. There is a good amount of talk, but nothing ever feels too contrived, wasted or unnecessary. Is it a brilliant film? No, but I can safely recommend it.

Having been in these shoes, I appreciated this movie even more.

This is a solidly entertaining and believable film about professional men (and women) who lose their identities as they lose their jobs in corporate America economic decline.

Some folks rebound, others can't. I grew attached to the characters. Every performance was believable and tight.

I found myself rooting for success, even though it wasn't always in the cards.

The ending wrapped everything up in a tidy ball, which I like.

Bottom line: Solid entertainment with very few explosions.

This was a timely film given that the subject matter is the effect on men of losing their jobs and, as a result, their feelings of worth, their status within the world and to a certain extent their identity. It is not only timely in fact but it also had the potential to be very smart in regards the characters and the commentary on the challenges that start with money problems but go much deeper. To a certain extent the film manages to do this because it is at its best when it allows the characters to simply be on the screen and struggling with their situations, but there is a generalness to it that prevents it being consistently engaging and smart.

The nature of the characters is a big part of it – perhaps not for everyone but for most viewers the problems of laid off executives may not be the easiest subject to care too much about. I know ultimately they are all people, but the problems of those having to give up Ferraris or no longer being able to maintain the lavish lifestyle they once had is not the most accessible of things; and it is a problem that it never quite shakes off because again of this general approach. The characters are interesting still though and it is a decent stab at seeing the struggle of becoming unemployed after many years working, it just doesn't do it well enough. The main character comes over as arrogant and ungrateful for too long – it is necessary at first but later on it becomes grating as it combines with his own decision to live to the maximum of his means rather than being a little more modest and saving some of his large income. The older characters get away with this a bit more since their stories tend to be more about the emotional impact rather than events and this does buy the film some good material but not enough to make up for the weaknesses in its central character.

The cast help this a lot, even though they are nearly too distracting by how many famous faces there are. Affleck has the most time but does the least with it as he never manages to make a person from his situation and only just stops being annoying in time for a sentimental conclusion. Jones and Cooper are much better in their roles and they have more of the heart to play. Bello, Costner, Nelson and others are good in support; Walker is sadly only notable for how much weight he has put on since I first saw him in Oz.

The Company Men had potential to explore the male characters in a way that minimizes the distraction of their previous incomes however it doesn't quite manage it. The cast mostly do well but the central concept is too focused on events and too focused on an upbeat conclusion that the subject doesn't really merit.

This is a well done film that shows the impact of today's economy on a variety of individuals, mostly from the same company. Add in a bit of the corporate greed theme and there you have it - a somewhat depressing view of today's work world.

This is a bit different from other films of this ilk in that it also delves into the higher executive ranks and the impact decisions made for "shareholder value" has to all levels of an organization.

A thoroughly depressing film that takes on a very serious issue and generally succeeds.

Perhaps this should be mandatory viewing for all with the power over the careers of others.

Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper and Craig T. Nelson all do extremely well in their roles as does Kevin Costner, although he strains a bit on his New England accent early in the film.

All in all, a very nice film of a very depressing subject.

I was able to find this online even though it's not at the movies, yet. The thing I like most about the movie is how it accurately depicts how the rich are getting richer in this recession while the bottom falls out for most of us. The daily news seems to report job losses in a matter-of-fact fashion these days. This movie puts a personal face on these out-of-work people - though dealing with it from the executive's perspective. I guess making a movie about how those on the lower economic spectrum - those MOST affected - just wouldn't be appealing enough for Hollywood. There would be the inconvenience of telling a story in which ALL of the characters remained in dire straits at the end - the way things still are today. I guess - like the politicians - Hollywood seems to be big on building hope in this one. At least by dealing with the layoffs from the executive's perspective, they were able to show some people NOT rebounding, but others actually getting their feet back under them. All in all, worth watching.