MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (2/4/11): THE COMPANY MEN
Credit: Folger / © 2011 The Weinstein Company. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Eamonn Walker, Tommy Lee Jones, Maria Bello, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kevin Costner and Craig T. Nelson
WRITER: John Wells
DIRECTOR: John Wells
WEB SITE: http://www.companymenmovie.com/
THE PLOT: Set in 2008 and written and directed by John Wells (Southland, ER), The Company Men stars Ben Affleck as Robert Walker, a successful 30-something ad executive working at GTX, a leader in the ship transportation industry. Living in a nice home with his wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) and their children in his native New England where he also belongs to a nice country club where he can enjoy his $100 K-plus salary regularly, Robert has the life.
That all comes to an end the day he is given a couple of cardboard boxes and asked to clean out his office.
GTX, like a lot of companies, is feeling the effects of the economy - and company CEO James Salinger (Craig T. Nelson) isn't about to let his stockholders think the company is in peril, even if it means laying off employees like Robert left and right to ensure a profit. This practice, however, comes much to the chagrin of his employee/former college roommate Gene (Tommy Lee Jones), who is enjoying quite a nice life of his own ... Especially when he's joined by Sally Wilcox (Maria Bello), a.k.a. the woman who puts many heads on the chopping block.
At least Robert is still relatively young; for poor Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) has a myriad of problems: He's nearly 60, a smoker and has two college age kids to look after. Things could be worse, though. After all, Robert's carpenter brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) loves to give him a hard time and Phil still has a job ... For now ...
THE TAKE: If you've ever felt the pain of being laid off from a company you've poured your heart and soul into to provide for yourself and/or your family, watching The Company Men might be the cinematic equivalent of being a victim in a Saw movie - and I mean that as a testament to just how powerful and well done of a movie it is. As films like the modern Ocean's trilogies have proven, big stars don't always produce grand results. There are no such issues in Men, however, as the acting is in the film is phenomenal as is Wells' tightly constructed dialogue, as no word, facial expression or movement is wasted. Even Costner is good in his limited role - and his Boston accent isn't horrible, either!
Think about how many functions the concept of a job fits into our lives. Not only does a job provide a tangible product in our lives - i.e., a paycheck - but it also helps shape our identity. Our job is not who we are completely, but it does have a large say in what we become and see ourselves as ("successful," a "provider," etc.) in addition to being tied to what we are able to do because of it (vacations, where we live, what we are able to provide to those we love, realizing our dreams among them). In Men, this idea - along with the excellent exploration of what truly brings us happiness, how we deal with a changing world that may not have a use for us at a certain age and when does the cost of doing business outweigh profits - are what make the film the first must-see film of the year. These are movie characters, but these are characters you know. For they may be your former favorite co-worker, your next door neighbor, your older family member or, the worst of all, yourself.
PARTING SHOT: In a country where the economy is no. 1 concern of many people for all the wrong reasons, The Company Men offers them hope of a better tomorrow ... And in great, dramatic fashion. Those are the reasons it would be unfair to label the film as "the recession movie;" for while it may be extremely relevant to today's current career environment, it explores the human spirit and what work means to us in a timeless fashion.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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