Of course bucket loads of movies will come out and deal with the fiscal crash. Some will be good, some will be bad and others will be The Company Men.
Starring Ben Affleck and Tommy Lee Jones, amongst others, The Company Men follows a bunch of high placed exec’s and their wonderful lifestyle. Due to a bit of economic restructuring, one loses their job (Affleck) and eventually, one by one they all falls. With the exception of Tommy Lee Jones’ character, who is plagued by bouts of guilt and pondering and how they got to where they are. Affleck goes off and eventually ends up in a construction job, given to him by his brother in law Kevin Costner. So that’s the story. While it’s not exactly full of meat to chow down on, there is enough here to keep you engaged.
Credit to Affleck and Jones here, they really do keep the viewer engaged with a performance that far exceeds the story it encapsulates. Tommy Lee Jones looks the part of the high flying, long term employee and Affleck looks at home with a tool belt or a briefcase. There is a nice contrast throughout the movie which adds to the image that the movie sets in your noggin. For every sheet of plywood Affleck is lifting up a stairs there is much swigging of expensive scotch and exuberance in a plush office. By the time this subtle contrast is finished you will be very damn thankful for what you have, no matter how small.
And there lies the success in a movie which more or less has limply crept into the big screen. The Company Men will make you think about what you have, and how easy it is to lose it all. It’s only downfall is the story and the character development. There is not a whole lot of back story here and if truth be told, there isn’t alot going on in the movie. Nor do we learn an awful lot about the main characters. That said, it’s the acting performance’s of it’s cast that keeps The Company Men from sliding right off the chart into oblivion. The Company Men may be more suited to the small screen, but decent performances make it watchable.
Director: John Wells
Starring: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner
Running Time: 104 minutes
Certificate: 12A IRE/ 12A UK
Released: Mar 18 2011 (IRE)
