Movie: The Company Men
Cast: Ben Affleck (Bobby Walker)
Rosemarie DeWitt (Maggie Walker)
Tommy Lee Jones (Gene McClary)
Chris Cooper (Phil Woodward)
Maria Bello (Sally Wilcox)
Craig T. Nelson (James Salinger)
Kevin Costner (Jack Dolan)
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: James Salinger, CEO of the conglomerate GTX, is willing to do whatever it takes to make his company’s bottom line look better to investors. Gene McClary is a senior VP who has been with Salinger since they were roommates in college. Sally Wilcox is the person who does the firing as massive layoffs begin. Among the first to be laid off from his $160,000 a year job is Bobby Walker. After 12 years with the company, Bobby gets no advance notice of his firing. He does get 12 weeks severance pay. Bobby is shell-shocked and takes a long time before the reality of his situation sinks in. His wife, Maggie, understands the severity of the situation, but has a hard time getting him to face the facts. They eventually have to move in with his parents while Bobby goes to work for Maggie’s brother, Jack Dolan – a carpenter doing a house renovation. The next round of layoffs gets Phil Woodward, who is even less prepared than Bobby.
The movie follows the different ways in which these newly jobless men deal with their plight. It also examines the corporate culture that is so willing to both pay exorbitant salaries and so equally willing to heartlessly fire these same executives. No one is safe from the ax in this corporate world.
My two cents: A great movie. To anyone working for a large corporation, I suspect this movie would be classified as a horror movie. I personally never had to unemployment; but the idea of being jobless – especially with a family to support – scared the living daylights out of me (at least until I retired).
I have always believed that Ben Affleck is a much better actor than most critics seem to be willing to credit him. I think his performance in this movie may serve to silence at least some of them. I thought he did a fabulous job of capturing the arrogance of the upwardly mobile highly paid mid-manager. It was fascinating to watch his character sink lower and lower until he hit rock bottom – moving in with his parents and being a gofer for his brother-in-law.
I thought Rosemarie DeWitt was also great in portraying the loving wife who was more grounded than her husband, wanting to support him while at the same time lighting a fire under his butt.
And then there was good old Tommy Lee Jones. Tommy has yet to disappoint me. He was the one honest and ethical beacon of hope in the top management of the company. He has a great soliloquy in which he describes the problem of corporate America being obsessed not with actually making things, but with balance sheets.
Don’t expect to leave this movie laughing, but do expect to leave with a lot to think about.
I found Roger Ebert’s review to be particularly interesting for this movie:
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