A Grande Virada

(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)

"The Company Men" is one of those that really showcases what it's been like the last couple of years especially in the corporate world of how the layoffs and downsizing have affected many families and the lives of other people. It shows that it's tough when you fall down and that life is hard when you have to adjust economically really one has to rediscover their fate and way of living.

Set in Boston at the height of the economic crisis and collapse director John Wells paints a pretty and somewhat unpleasant picture of how the corporate world changes many lives by downsizing. It centers around the lives of three men who work at a corporate company GTX. And top sells leader Bobby Walker(Ben Affleck)all of a sudden one day is canned and let go as the company can't afford to pay his salary as demands and stocks fall along with the sales of GTX. Then next is a veteran manager Phil Woodward(Chris Cooper)a man who somewhat is cut in the back and let go in a harsh way. And this greatly affects the life of both it even drives Phil to a deadly depression. And Bobby's world is turned upside down as going from $120,000 a year to roughly $60,000 to maybe $80,000 is a big drop. As it affected Bobby's money world no more golf lessons, gone is the expensive car and maybe Patriot tickets.

Heartfelt and life changing is seeing Bobby take up working construction for his wife's brother(Kevin Costner)going from suit and tie to hard hat! The wild card and conflicted character in the movie is veteran GTX manager Gene McClary(Tommy Lee Jones)a man who's loyal yet hard headed for the company in the meantime deep down Gene knows what's going on at GTX is not right. Plus McClary is a very conflicted man he's stressed plus he's cheating on his wife with a company employee the sexy and elegant Sally Wilcox(Maria Bello).

During it all the trio of men feel the highs and lows of life and it's ever changing economic and social climates. Really it's a time to ponder and rediscover as it proves for both Bobby and Gene it's never late to start over even if it is less still it's a change and rediscovery of happiness. Overall good film that captures the reality of the corporate and economic recessions of the last few years it's so true of how companies do downsizing of their men which alters and changes lives forever.

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.

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.

What a great story! The recession is not the story here - the different paths the characters take as they wrestle with reality and their own identities is the point, and their arcs are wonderfully developed.

This is the best performance I've seen from Ben Affleck. All of the main actors give textured, subtle portrayals that are natural and convincing despite familiarity with their faces.