Review of In the Company of Men (1997) by Patrick H — 13 Oct 2008

By giving away the basics of the story, it is easy to see why this movie may offend some viewers. There is a consistent negativity in both of the male characters but only up to a point. Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and Howard (Matt Malloy) are on a six-week business trip to start a different branch of a company; to make sure it gets set up right.

The beginning scene shows the two exchanging typical dialogue in an airport terminal: women, work, etc. In talking about all this, Chad gets an idea: take a girl who wouldn't normally catch your eye, pretend to like her and then dump her before they leave.

Chad quickly becomes enthralled by the idea, while Howard only pretends to like it but doesn't do anything to stop it either. The two agree to both go after her, make her feel good. Her name is Christine and she is deaf but able to talk a little bit.

It works well for a while but after a couple of weeks, Chad pretends to fall madly in love with her while Howard is really falling in love with her. The impressive thing about the whole situation is that they both look as if it's still a game.

The movie would have been disgusting and off-putting if only Eckhart's character had been involved; the result would have been mean-spirited and mysoginistic. However, director Neil LaBute's script is much smarter than that and you get a brief but shocking glimpse into a sense of office politics.

These men are products of the system. There is a great scene (if a little painful to watch) where Chad has a young black intern in his office. He pulls the shades down and requires that he pull his pants down to show that "he has balls" and embarass himself.

You get the feeling that maybe Chad is a racist or maybe he is a homosexual. Neither is true. Both men have something in common: they will do anything to survive the corporate world. The thing that makes the movie so great is how realistic it is.

Behavior and mannerisms get passed from one person to another person to another person and so on. Aside from the cruel element of the story, there is also a human side. Howard begins to care for Christine but doesn't want to let on to Chad, who is having a ball letting her think he likes her.

Aaron Eckhart is the reason to see this film. He is so utterly convincing as a cocky businessman. Matt Malloy is also very good because he provides the voice of reason later in the film. Stacy Edwards takes on a punishing role as Christine but it is convincing and it works.

This is a thought-provoking film with terrific writing and a great male performance at its center.