Dir. John Wells, USA 2010, Dur. 104 mins
Cast: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Maria Bello
Review by Carlie Newman
How good to have an intelligent, well-written story (by writer-director John Wells) into which to get one’s teeth. Made for the more mature movie-goer, The Company Men shows us the agony faced in America by those working for corporate companies, which are being downsized in the face of the current economic recession.
Bobby Walker (Affleck) has a great job with all the possessions that make up the American dream, including a lovely home and a Porsche. When he is suddenly made redundant, he finds himself, his wife and their children facing not only the difficulties of finding another job in a market already over-loaded with similar well-qualified executives, but also the loss of his beautiful life-style. He is joined in the downsizing exercise by his co-worker Phil Woodward (Cooper) and his immediate boss, Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones). Finding themselves jobless, the three men have to look closely at their lives and decide on their priorities, not only in the work place but also as husbands and fathers.
Taking part in job search skills workshops and being given advice from various sources including his builder brother-in-law (Costner) Bobby comes to appreciate the constant support of his wife, Maggie (DeWitt). Gene however turns away from his wife to long-term girlfriend and head of Human Resources, Sally (Bello), while Phil has to struggle with the difficulty of letting his family know that he can no longer provide the luxuries that they have been accustomed to.
An excellent cast delivers the nuances of each person’s fight for survival. Affleck’s Bobby starts off as most confident that he will soon find a suitable job and then deteriorates into complete anger and then misery as he faces long-term loss of employment. Affleck gives a solid believable portrayal of this once affluent, somewhat arrogant man. Tommy Lee Jones also puts in a fine performance as a man, who was in the firm from its beginning and is suddenly dismissed by his friend and colleague. Cooper shows the desperation of an older man told to dye his hair and only put general information into his CV so that it won’t reveal how old he is. Costner is amazing as Jack, Bobby’s brother-in-law who helps Bobby find his dignity and shows us what a man working with his hands, rather than just his brain, can offer. The male actors are well-supported by DeWitt as Bobby’s loyal, hard-working wife and Bello as the intimate partner of Gene.
Although based on the experiences of a minority group of high-earning top executives in the American business world, the director has ensured that the film has a lot to say to all – particularly men – facing the disappointments and frustrations at not being able to obtain another position. In addition the men have to deal with the embarrassment of revealing the truth to family and neighbours. This is a well-crafted film and well worth seeing.
