The Business of Strangers

Poignant tale of two eager women; one has passed her prime and bears the scares of the still male dominated business world of the early new millennium is aggressively portrayed to a 'T' (as in Tenacious) by Stockard Channing who is chillingly ruthless from frame to frame. The other younger, equally crafty, as well as wickedly sly woman is played by Julia Stiles who no doubt is cast by design to steal the glances of the male audience as well as opposite genders in this story of destructive payback.

Stiles' character is manipulatively calculating as she subtly unfolds a selfish plan to map a path to own success yet who's comeuppance could inevitably be in her near future at the hands of her adversary's lofty rank… or possibly visa-versa given that both become disillusioned by the cardinal sins of greed, envy and last but certainly not least, lust. Gets off the track a bit with the man-humiliation angle which may have went a bit to far but both Channing is stellar and Stiles is something to be reckoned with in this picture in more ways than one as both should be duly commended for their outstanding performances. Comparisons to Neil LaBute's powerful 1997 'In the Company of Men' are inevitable but still stands well on its own.

Stockard Channing has always been a terrific actress and her excellent performance comes as no surprise but Julia Stiles is also very good thanks to a thought provoking script. I've always had my suspicions about Stiles and here she shows she also has some good "Stuff". I hope she gets offered more films like this instead of the teenage fare where all that is needed is attitude. As good as Stiles is its still Channing's film. Youth cannot overcome experience, not here anyway.

Four words, this movie is amazing. I haven't seen Stockard Channing this good since Six Degrees of Separation. This is definitely her best performance to date. Julia Stiles was superb. I haven't walked out of a theater this pleased in ages. Although I have been a fan of Stockard since Grease, my real delight was the script. This is great writing. It's enigmatic and unpredictable, funny yet compelling. I tip my hat to Patrick Stettner. Who needs special effects, long months of filming and huge budgets, when you have such wonderful script and great acting. All shot in 23 days.

Call it an art film. Call it low-budget. Call it limited-release. But it's a lot more entertaining and intelligent than 95 percent of what Hollywood produces these days. (I know this was filmed primarily in New Jersey, but you know where I'm coming from.)

The psychological and physical tension between the two leading characters (Channing and Stiles) really makes this film. There's a lot to think about here, including the price to be paid for corporate success and how trust often ends up being the world's most valuable commodity.

Anyone who's ever reached the top of the corporate ladder and then found themselves to tired to enjoy it will appreciate Channing's performance. She's a perfect fit for this role, strong and confident on one hand but insecure and a tad lonely on the other.

It seems strange to say it, but I really liked something about how the culture of business travel was illustrated in the movie -- hotel bars, shuttle buses, cell phones, neatly-organized suitcases, lounges, alarm clocks. Maybe these characters simply have more impact in such an artificial environment.

A solid 8 1/2 out of 10.

Paula hates men, and has learned to use her sexual attractiveness as a weapon against them. It's made obvious the way she likes to taunt them in the elevator, the dance floor. Making out in the hallway just enough to get him turned on, then kick him away. Throwing their lame smalltalk back in their face. (At the end of the movie I asked my SO why she "did it" and the answer was "because she can." I got it right.)

Paula is a constant, but what about Julie? Together but brittle, Paula boils things to the surface of Julie that otherwise would not have come to light without sufficient heat. This movie keeps you watching, and you can't help but question whether the characters and fallen "out of character" or not. But that's the whole point.

You keep watching because you want to see where it goes. Over the edge, or reel back to safety?

Actors aside, the background is perfect, as anyone who has spent any amount of time on business trips knows.

Eight stars.