Review of The Company Men (2010) by Ryan M — 03 Jun 2014

5.7/10.

I had a ridiculously hard time accepting "The Company Men" when I was watching it. Usually, with a movie that I have trouble accepting for what it is, I revisit it; but I don't think that this is a film that truly needs to be seen again. Granted, it was well-made, well-acted, and pleasant enough. But damn...it's so hard to relate to, even if you're a person in the same situation as the character.

People get laid off all the time in today's world. Several movies have been made about this matter, and it's good to see that at least one of them is decent. "The Company Men" is completely forgettable, and more entertaining than insightful. This is its fatal flaw; this is also why I stuck around and watched it through its entire running time. I won't say it was intoxicating filmmaking; and I won't say it was insulting either. But out of a premise like this, I expecting something...oh, you know...better.

Bob (Ben Affleck) has a nice job as an employee for GTX, but loses it almost immediately after we meet him. They fire him due to corporate downsizing. He is devastated. He might lose his home. And he will definitely not have his pockets filled with money in this next life he is about to start. To make some cash, he starts working for his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) as a drywall installer. Bob has an enthusiastic and positive outlook on life throughout the film, even if he has been fired from a good job.

Phil (Chris Cooper) is fired from a high-paying job, and is having even worse luck than Bob. He cannot find a good, new job due to his age, which he finds outrageous. He's in fits. He is the unhappiest of the central characters in the film. And he's the only one who feels completely believable.

Craig T. Nelson and Tommy Lee Jones play to GTX executives who do not suffer such misfortunes as the first two characters, probably because they are good and somewhat important when it comes to their jobs. Jones' character is well-liked for his sympathetic and eager-to-assist attitude towards those who are not quite as fortunate as he is. He is a likable character; Craig T. Nelson's character...not so much.

The problem with this screen-play is the optimism of Ben Affleck's character. Granted, all the acting on display here is pretty darn solid, but I didn't care for any of the characters. True sadness was not explored here, leaving it up to another film about downsizing to explore darker, possibly more humanely emotional realms of such a topic. This is a film that deserves a better screen-play, better direction. I don't mind it, but it's not a good movie. I enjoyed it, it was an entertaining and breezy ride, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I was interested in the film on a thematic level. It has ambitions and dreams to be a good movie. But it is uneven, sometimes too ponderous and boring, all while being a relatively decent and easy film. Not a bad drama; not a good one. It might serve as decent movie-night entertainment, but otherwise, it lacks the wit or mastery that could have made it a truly great, or even good film.