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 movie is pretty funny if you don't want to think too much. Yes, the movie doesn't really have a consistent plot and is mainly divided up into different segments, but the movie is still hilarious, and Douglas McGrath does an excellent job as the geek who the government assigns to a dangerous mission. Oops, sorry. WHOM the government assigns to a dangerous mission.

Anyway, don't expect any underlying meaning or important plot points in this movie. Just expect to laugh.

In the 60's, Alan Quimp (Douglas McGrath) is a school teacher of English grammar and married with the very demanding woman Daisy Quimp (Sigourney Weaver). In order to avoid the constant mockery in Daisy's family, Alan says that he is a secret CIA agent. Daisy tells everybody, the CIA acknowledges the lie, but due to a coincidence, Alan has just helped and hidden the professional Russian dancer Petrov (Ryan Phillippe) who wanted to leave Russia. The CIA decides to hire Alan as an agent, to get the credits of bringing Petrov to USA, and immediately decides to send him to a very calm place, Cuba. Again due to a fortunate coincidence, Alan disclosures the identity of a double agent (Dennis Leary). Then, Fidel Castro (Anthony LaPaglia) makes the revolution and deposes Fulgêncio Batista (Alan Cumming). With the support of the former CIA agent in Cuba Lowther (Woody Allen) and Croker Johnson (John Turturro), Alan tries unsuccessfully to eliminate Fidel. In the end, he is sent to another quiet place (Vietnam). This movie is one of the most funny I have recently seen. The constellation of excellent actors and actresses is amazing. The story, a hilarious joke with the contemporary history of Cuba and USA, is delicious. Only the character of John Turturro disappoints a little bit, but when Woody Allen appears in scene, there are fantastic ironic dialogs. All the cast is excellent and wonderful, but Woody Allen is splendorous, as usual, with the best lines. I can not understand why this movie is so underrated in IMDB. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `Um Agente Como A Gente' (`An Agent Like Us')

Obs: There is a joke in the Brazilian title that is not possible to explain to those not familiarized with Portuguese.

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.

This movie, as underdistributed as it has been, should be picked up wherever you can find it.

All you need to enjoy this movie is an I.Q. and a sense of humor. If either of the aforementioned are lacking you will probably agree with the "Don't watch this movie" reviewer.

Woody Allen has some classic lines in this film.

ALSO, the plot is not MUCH sillier than the ACTUAL Bay of Pigs incident.