Company Man

A snowstorm was coming. Anticipating a snowbound weekend I grabbed this and several other unfamiliar titles from the library shelf. I chose this one because I liked several of the cast members and it sounded like it had some promise. I was right - it had some promise. Unfortunately it never delivered more than a few moments. The uncredited Woody Allen may have demanded his name be removed. A few of his scenes were among those that delivered. Dennis Leary's scenes delivered most frequently and Alan Cumming hit the mark about half the time. I was so disappointed by John Turturro and Sigourney Weaver. Perhaps it is because they are so closely wrapped around the character played by Douglas McGrath. I don't know if it is the basic premise (english teacher with all consuming dream to rid the world of bad grammar turned CIA agent) or just his ability to deliver it. I suspect both. I grew annoyed with the premise and in between "comic facial expression here" he seemed to have a cardboard appearance.

If we had been snowbound for a month we would not have watched this again. As I review Sigourney Weaver's and John Turturro's previous films, I know they can be SO much better but perhaps if you're in a dog you just have to act like one. I don't know why everyone associated with this film said yes. Were they that bored, broke, desperate, owed someone a favor, being blackmailed? The only person I can see who must have been happy was Douglas Mcgrath - having been given the starring role in a picture. I hope he enjoyed it because I doubt he will be given another.

This is a VERY funny movie, that owes a great deal to Woody Allen. It's kind of like "Bananas", 30 years later and badly gone to seed. Who cares if the premise is absurd and the movie is episodic, there's some hilarious material here, and stars like Sigourney Weaver, Woody Allen, John Turturro and others are very funny. Sometimes it's a bit like a prolonged SNL skit, with the whole grammar teacher bit, but there is always another laugh around the corner. All this said, the film was a bit of a disappointment in retrospect, and does not live up to its potential. It's almost like they ran out of money and cut some corners while making it. It is also fairly short, and it appears that pieces of some scenes that may have been cut from the film are actually shown during the credits. Lightweight, yet nowhere near as bad as some reviewers are saying.

Douglas McGrath leads an all star cast in this film.

The film is set in the early 60's. McGrath plays Alan Quimp, a grammar school teacher who makes up that he is in the CIA so that his wife will stop hassling him about getting another job. He then ends up helping a Russian ballet dancer defect from the Soviet Union and then is sent to Cuba to find "Agent X" who the CIA have been looking for for over 2 years. The story goes on from there when Agent X is found.

This is a quirky, constant, light hearted film with some funny bits. I loved the fact that it has an all star cast. Woody Allen is very funny. Best to watch a second time to appreciate it more. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but I personally enjoyed it.

7/10.

We weren't too far into COMPANY MAN when we paused it and started discussing whether or not to bail and move on to something else. We decided to give it just a few more minutes. Next thing you know, there's Woody Allen (!) on the screen and, before we had time to get over the surprise, we were laughing. Up until that point, the comedy had been labored and the jokes obvious. After Mr. Allen's appearance, the comedy remained labored, the jokes remained obvious, but for some reason I haven't been able to figure, much of it became very funny.

I can't speak for my co-habitant (who professed not to like it much at all, but laughed almost as much as I did); maybe my mood just lightened; maybe I just suddenly accepted that this was broad, anything-for-a-laugh burlesque; maybe it was the gin and tonic I mixed for myself while we were deciding if we should finish the silly thing. Who cares? It simply began scoring well on my "laugh out loud scale," and I relaxed and enjoyed.

I don't mean to mislead. COMPANY MAN is wildly uneven, and there is at least as much chaff as wheat. Think of it in the same way as you would an episode of the original "SNL:" what you're seeing at a given moment may be forced and tiresome, but wait a few, and something funny (however cheap it might be) is just around the corner.

If you see this movie, and decide that I or any of the other commenters here who thought it was funny (or should that be whom?) are out of our minds, believe me, I do understand.

Maybe you just have to be in the right mood.

"Company Man" is a clever farce that deserves to be seen by more people. Though Douglas McGrath, its writer and star, is not well known, it has several famous actors, such as Sigourney Weaver and Woody Allen, playing major roles. This film is a revisionist look at the Bay of Pigs fiasco, much in the way "Dick" looks at Watergate. If you can suspend your disbelief a bit, and you're ready to have fun, you'll enjoy this comedy. Mucho laughs!