The Company Men

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.

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.

This is a well done film that shows the impact of today's economy on a variety of individuals, mostly from the same company. Add in a bit of the corporate greed theme and there you have it - a somewhat depressing view of today's work world.

This is a bit different from other films of this ilk in that it also delves into the higher executive ranks and the impact decisions made for "shareholder value" has to all levels of an organization.

A thoroughly depressing film that takes on a very serious issue and generally succeeds.

Perhaps this should be mandatory viewing for all with the power over the careers of others.

Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper and Craig T. Nelson all do extremely well in their roles as does Kevin Costner, although he strains a bit on his New England accent early in the film.

All in all, a very nice film of a very depressing subject.

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 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.