Movie Review: The Company Men

The Company Men

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Directed By

John Wells

Genres

Drama

Main Actors: Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson

Easy on the eyes factor: 3. Outside of Ben Affleck, there's not much attraction here. Mostly over 50 wrinkled, grey haired businessmen in suits.

30 Minute Rule: (Does the movie grab you in the first 30 Minutes): Yes. Affleck is intense!

Plot: Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is living the American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing leaves him and co-workers Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) and Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones) jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands, and fathers. Bobby soon finds himself enduring enthusiastic life coaching, a job building houses for his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) which does not play to his executive skill set, and perhaps the realization that there is more to life than chasing the bigger, better deal. With humor, pathos, and keen observation, writer-director John Wells (the creator of "ER") introduces us to the new realities of American life.

My Review: The Company Men was a great film. It hit home for a lot of Americans. It was made in 2010 and America was feeling the affects of a rise in unemployment, layoffs, foreclosures, corporate bailouts, a fresh new presidency, and other economic changes. I remember watching this movie feeling very bad for these characters and the trials that they faced, but even more, I reflected on the families and how their lives were impacted. For example, one scene where a teenage boy has to sell his XBOX 360 so that they could pay bills. That is some of the fallout that many movies rarely show.

A year after this movie came out, I was personally impacted by it's significance because I was left a major corporation. As the movie showed, these Company Men felt a level of invincibility until it all came crashing down around them and they had to re-evaluate life choices. I felt the same way in my employment and was forced to address the home-front with respect to dealing with the care taking of a wife and two children. I believe that The Company Men will touch many people in many different ways. Some will feel sorry for these men if they just view them as victims of large corporate politics. And some will say "screw these rich pricks" because many people have never come close to making 6 digit incomes, so they may not be able to relate or care to. So the affects will vary.

Rating 7 of 10.