The Company Men

Is this really the nearest Hollywood comes to understanding the real world - and the economic 'downturn' ?

A bunch of more corporate, unsympathetic characters you could not hope to imagine but they are all forced to embark on a voyage of discovery by heartless, cost-cutting conglomerates who have the audacity to fire executives further up the chain.

Chris Cooper (normally brilliant) discovers that more elderly people may struggle to find employment in the workplace whilst Ben Affleck (not normally brilliant) is made to realise that people wear gloves at work, have to carry heavy things and don't even go out to lunch on their breaks. Tommy Lee Jones just looks surly and grouches a lot... though his millions of dollars of shares increase in value, thank goodness.

The huge house and top-of-the-range German cars are on the line though as times get truly 'slightly uncomfortable' but thankfully it's Afflecks' sons' X-Box that goes first and the awful step down to manual labour doesn't seem so bad when you can master the wielding of a nail-gun in five minutes flat.

Corporate America is often an ugly thing, and this trite, patronising offering is no exception. It is almost nauseating in its' attempt to extract some sort of audience feeling for these greedy, grasping corporate 'executives'.

Who cares ?

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.

(Synopsis) When the GTX Corporation must cut jobs to improve the company's balance sheet during the 2010 recession, thousands of employees like Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) will take the hit. The company really doesn't care about their employees who have given many years of loyal and faithful service. To the company they are not faces, but only numbers. Bobby learns the real life consequences of not having a job. Not only does he see a change in his family lifestyle, and the loss of his home, but also his feelings of self-worth.

(My Comment) This is a story of what many workers in the U.S. are enduring during the present economic crisis. Many companies are cutting jobs by the thousands to placate their shareholders by reducing the company's employee overhead and hopefully driving up their stock price. Actually the movie shows the hardships and what can happen to anyone, including people in management, when they no longer have a job. It first affects them internally, then their families, and finally the communities they live in. Out of work people first resist changing their lifestyles, then they go into denial, and finally acceptance of the hand they have been dealt. Ben Affleck's outstanding performance of enduring disappointment of not finding a job and worry for not providing for his family proved this point. The moral of the story is that we should not take our jobs for granted. (The Weinstein Company, 1:49 Rated R) (7/10)

Whether we like it or not the last couple of years have been incredibly tough, and TCM though not perfect at least tries to make an honest film about downsizing in corporate America.

We really really got this - we all know someone whose lost their home, their job, or just found that the money isn't there the way it was - and those who reviewed this and said the films doesn't work as the characters have still got it good just don't get the college payments, the mortgage, the fear of losing it all, and the horrendous amount of money it takes to maintain a life in the US now is astronomical - and TCM at least looks at this as no other film has in the past three years.

Solid performances from everyone and Affleck in particular echoing his roles in Man about Town or Jersey Girl does a solid job here as the man who has it all and then has nothing.

It it does try to record something which otherwise seems to be in danger of being swept under the carpet - this is a well-made film that rings true and for our money was actually one of the more memorable and yes, even moving, films of the year - it is accessible and a likable film.

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.