User Reviews

Having been in these shoes, I appreciated this movie even more.

This is a solidly entertaining and believable film about professional men (and women) who lose their identities as they lose their jobs in corporate America economic decline.

Some folks rebound, others can't. I grew attached to the characters. Every performance was believable and tight.

I found myself rooting for success, even though it wasn't always in the cards.

The ending wrapped everything up in a tidy ball, which I like.

Bottom line: Solid entertainment with very few explosions.

Whether we like it or not the last couple of years have been incredibly tough, and TCM though not perfect at least tries to make an honest film about downsizing in corporate America.

We really really got this - we all know someone whose lost their home, their job, or just found that the money isn't there the way it was - and those who reviewed this and said the films doesn't work as the characters have still got it good just don't get the college payments, the mortgage, the fear of losing it all, and the horrendous amount of money it takes to maintain a life in the US now is astronomical - and TCM at least looks at this as no other film has in the past three years.

Solid performances from everyone and Affleck in particular echoing his roles in Man about Town or Jersey Girl does a solid job here as the man who has it all and then has nothing.

It it does try to record something which otherwise seems to be in danger of being swept under the carpet - this is a well-made film that rings true and for our money was actually one of the more memorable and yes, even moving, films of the year - it is accessible and a likable film.

I don't know much about business, but that doesn't mean it's hard to appreciate a good business movie. Despite a few dumbed down bits, The Company Men, comes with a feeling of authenticity with some heart and decent performances from everybody. That is good enough for me.

In a hundred minutes, The Company Men gives us a small taste of what The recession did to American business. It does so in a way that favours character over making anti-corporate statements. The movie chooses to zoom in on the lives of three sales executives and how they deal with job loss.

I've never been in love with Ben Affleck, but when he wants to, he can show some professionalism. In The Company Men he does just that, proving capable of hitting all the emotional notes when necessary, something I feel he missed in his previous film the Town.

The Company Men is actually a rather sad movie. It is only a hundred minute in length, but it feels longer. There is a good amount of talk, but nothing ever feels too contrived, wasted or unnecessary. Is it a brilliant film? No, but I can safely recommend it.

This was a timely film given that the subject matter is the effect on men of losing their jobs and, as a result, their feelings of worth, their status within the world and to a certain extent their identity. It is not only timely in fact but it also had the potential to be very smart in regards the characters and the commentary on the challenges that start with money problems but go much deeper. To a certain extent the film manages to do this because it is at its best when it allows the characters to simply be on the screen and struggling with their situations, but there is a generalness to it that prevents it being consistently engaging and smart.

The nature of the characters is a big part of it – perhaps not for everyone but for most viewers the problems of laid off executives may not be the easiest subject to care too much about. I know ultimately they are all people, but the problems of those having to give up Ferraris or no longer being able to maintain the lavish lifestyle they once had is not the most accessible of things; and it is a problem that it never quite shakes off because again of this general approach. The characters are interesting still though and it is a decent stab at seeing the struggle of becoming unemployed after many years working, it just doesn't do it well enough. The main character comes over as arrogant and ungrateful for too long – it is necessary at first but later on it becomes grating as it combines with his own decision to live to the maximum of his means rather than being a little more modest and saving some of his large income. The older characters get away with this a bit more since their stories tend to be more about the emotional impact rather than events and this does buy the film some good material but not enough to make up for the weaknesses in its central character.

The cast help this a lot, even though they are nearly too distracting by how many famous faces there are. Affleck has the most time but does the least with it as he never manages to make a person from his situation and only just stops being annoying in time for a sentimental conclusion. Jones and Cooper are much better in their roles and they have more of the heart to play. Bello, Costner, Nelson and others are good in support; Walker is sadly only notable for how much weight he has put on since I first saw him in Oz.

The Company Men had potential to explore the male characters in a way that minimizes the distraction of their previous incomes however it doesn't quite manage it. The cast mostly do well but the central concept is too focused on events and too focused on an upbeat conclusion that the subject doesn't really merit.

This is a well done film that shows the impact of today's economy on a variety of individuals, mostly from the same company. Add in a bit of the corporate greed theme and there you have it - a somewhat depressing view of today's work world.

This is a bit different from other films of this ilk in that it also delves into the higher executive ranks and the impact decisions made for "shareholder value" has to all levels of an organization.

A thoroughly depressing film that takes on a very serious issue and generally succeeds.

Perhaps this should be mandatory viewing for all with the power over the careers of others.

Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper and Craig T. Nelson all do extremely well in their roles as does Kevin Costner, although he strains a bit on his New England accent early in the film.

All in all, a very nice film of a very depressing subject.

(Synopsis) When the GTX Corporation must cut jobs to improve the company's balance sheet during the 2010 recession, thousands of employees like Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) will take the hit. The company really doesn't care about their employees who have given many years of loyal and faithful service. To the company they are not faces, but only numbers. Bobby learns the real life consequences of not having a job. Not only does he see a change in his family lifestyle, and the loss of his home, but also his feelings of self-worth.

(My Comment) This is a story of what many workers in the U.S. are enduring during the present economic crisis. Many companies are cutting jobs by the thousands to placate their shareholders by reducing the company's employee overhead and hopefully driving up their stock price. Actually the movie shows the hardships and what can happen to anyone, including people in management, when they no longer have a job. It first affects them internally, then their families, and finally the communities they live in. Out of work people first resist changing their lifestyles, then they go into denial, and finally acceptance of the hand they have been dealt. Ben Affleck's outstanding performance of enduring disappointment of not finding a job and worry for not providing for his family proved this point. The moral of the story is that we should not take our jobs for granted. (The Weinstein Company, 1:49 Rated R) (7/10)

THE COMPANY MEN is very difficult to watch if you are among the millions of people who have been laid off by the current economic recession/meltdown in this country. Writer/Director John Wells understands the grave aspects of losing a job as corporations and businesses downsize in response to the current economic disaster - depression, humiliation, loss of self-worth and pride, fear of failure in finding new employment, the effects of job loss on marriages and families, loss of hope - it is all here in this very well made film. If the first part of the film causes a reactive tachycardia and an urge to simply stop watching the story, then the closing moments of the film bring at least a little redemption in the faith that man can actually survive and reassess and stop being a victim of a situation over which few of us have any control.

GTX is a shipbuilding empire in Boston, the brainchild of Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones) who brought a simple ship building business to a wealthy corporation now run by CEO James Salinger (Craig T. Nelson): McClary is a billionaire with a wife concerned with shopping sprees using the corporate jet and a lover Sally Wilcox (Maria Bello), the HR director of the corporation. The year is 2008 and the stock market and the economy in general have dipped to a new low and terrifying point. The result: downsizing and one of the first to go is sales manager Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) who is shocked and then hurt and then overcome with a feeling of failure and humiliation. Bobby's wife Maggie (Rosemarie DeWitt) at first responds with desperation but adjusts by taking on work as an ER nurse, coaxing their son to not lose hope in Bobby. Bobby tries to find work but is the victim of the joblessness of the country: he finally accepts Maggie's brother Jack's (Kevin Costner) offer to to work as a simple carpenter. Meanwhile the downsizing includes Gene and longterm employee Phil (Chris Cooper) who is overcome with anger and humiliation at being unemployable because of his advanced age. The manner in which each of these three men cope with the loss of job and income weaves a story that is complete with tragedy as well as a demonstration of the indomitability of the human spirit.

THE COMPANY MEN contains many messages about coping with change, preparing for a realistic financial future, and the delicate line that separates each day's stance on the tightrope of existence. While the story is difficult to watch, the performances by this exceptional cast are excellent, not only among the Oscar winning stars but by the finely wrought cameos by Anthony O'Leary as Bobby's son Drew, Cady Huffman, and Eamonn Walker (so well remember from the TV series OZ), among many others.

This is tough medicine but necessary views on contemporary society.

Grady Harp

Can an unforgettable film be made about redundancy? The simple answer is yes and no. With an almost exceptional cast and some truly great writing this is a memorable film. The Company Men falls short on a few regards; it is predictable and regrettably contains Ben Affleck's face. The latter is a sin on par with adultery in my book. All that was needed was to substitute Ben for Casey and we'd have come up smelling of roses.

I went into this drama with an air of caution assuming any film about the recession would be handled too conservatively and with all focus on the firms responsible. Thankfully this was not the case. Focusing on three men that have lost their jobs, the direction brings a personal touch to the story and sucks you in more than it otherwise might. Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper are superb in their roles as the older men on the wrong end of the firing stick. Jones had skirted my radar of admiration for several years until his sensational casting in No Country For Old Men (I swore I wouldn't mention the Coen Brothers, sorry folks) and Cooper's resume includes American Beauty and City of Hope (1991). Both are stellar actors and, in the twilight of their career this type of film is a great move.

Affleck's character goes through the predicted emotions, denial, optimism, depression and acceptance through the duration of the film which is a breath of fresh air as you can authentically see how this affects his family and how the wife and child deal with the situation that Affleck takes upon his own shoulders.

Writer and director John Wells made a promising choice to follow three strands of storyline that are interconnected, however, Jones and Cooper's stories are not able to hold attention and aren't fleshed out sufficiently rendering them ineffective. While necessary for the storyline these break up the flow of the movie slightly and make for a pinball style ride.

I still heartily recommend watching The Company Men. It will never reach my repeat watching list reserved for the calibre of Leon The Professional and Grave of the Fireflies as it lacks that extra dimension. It is however, enjoyable, intriguing and emotional.

There is little doubt that losing a job is among the most traumatic events that can happen in ones life. Losing a job not only means loss of income and the uncertainty and worry that accompanies such a loss, but also loss of self-esteem and loss of confidence in the future. These themes are effectively dramatized in this movie. The main character, a young, well-paid white collar worker, loses his job and it changes his life, and not necessarily for the better. The movie shows how all of us are subject to economic forces way beyond our ability to control. As the movie shows, nobody is immune to the effects of these economic forces. Huge companies can be downsized, bought up, dismantled and disappear. Sometimes it's easy to believe that these corporate entities will go on forever, but it's an illusion. There is no security; there is no reward for loyalty. And while thousands of workers lose their jobs, corporate executives, that is, those who actually own these companies, pay themselves millions of dollars. Yet, as the movie shows, these huge salaries do not guarantee economic security either, as one's company can be put up for sale. When the movie tries to get moralistic, the story gets a little mushy, but for the most part the story stays on track and avoid that pitfall. Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper give strong performances as the company men; the rest of the cast, which includes Craig T. Nelson and Maria Bello, are excellent too. This movie is worth watching.

First thing you need to know about this movie is a fact that this will be about American people, very rich American people. It makes this movie more funny to almost whole rest of the world. If you are asking why? Read more. People born in America has absolutely no idea about few things. One of them is ... To Work & Has No Extra Money!

I know countries where people are more educated & harder working for 20-30per of the wages in US! And these people know what is means to weight money, to save money and to survive with almost nothing and in many cases be happy. This is big difference between us & US! Movie is talking about few very good earning managers (CEO and so) in a very big and successful company, some of the will loose job because of crisis and redundancy. Yes we all know this, we all know that this can happen to anyone these days (I happened to me as well, exactly the same reasons). Job is not secured in a world nowdays. Story goes further into the lives of these unfortunate people... how to pay for everything when I have no income, no money for mortgage, school, cars, loans etc (terrible thing, I wish no one lived it) Problem is (not for Americans) , these people has more than a 1 000 000 dollars for a year! ONE MILLION! For last couple of years ... and suddenly they have no money, no money to survive for couple of months, till they found something else! I understand that someone who has been earning 1 500 000 dollars a year has problem to find a job for the same money, but I don't understand HOW can he be WITH NO MONEY (plus he has pay check for next three months, 160 000 Dollars a week) and after few months they had to sell car, then house and FUNNY THING IS COMING ... they had to sell son's Xbox360! Because they could have afford it! This is funny for real people in rest of the world. I understand that if you earn millions a year (more years now), you will get used to those money, for the luxury and everything, to live like a star, but it is unjustifiable that they had no SAVINGS, at all! They weren't counting with something like may happen? If someone is capable of spending more than 150 000 dollars a week, every week, for years ... I am sorry I have to say it, he deserves it! Shame on him!

This is wasting of money, wasting of resources and unfair! These things will make this movie more comedy than drama (again, not for Americans). But, besides everything I have said, this is very good movie. You will find there everything about crisis. It is about frustration, why I can't find a job with my resume, why am I suddenly no one, when I was somebody. There is insecurity even in high places, no one is safe. You will see man's desperation, so deep, that some of them will find dead end with no way out. You will see like time can bring satisfaction in much worse work than months ago ... simply ... CRISIS! Plus one more thing, you will realise that the higher place the worse man you will became.

So this movie is very good, if you American you will probably love it (and hate it, because this happened to many people), if you are from "poorer" country you might find yourself angry about how this world is cruel and why! But I would love to be American and live American dream! God bless us all

Is this really the nearest Hollywood comes to understanding the real world - and the economic 'downturn' ?

A bunch of more corporate, unsympathetic characters you could not hope to imagine but they are all forced to embark on a voyage of discovery by heartless, cost-cutting conglomerates who have the audacity to fire executives further up the chain.

Chris Cooper (normally brilliant) discovers that more elderly people may struggle to find employment in the workplace whilst Ben Affleck (not normally brilliant) is made to realise that people wear gloves at work, have to carry heavy things and don't even go out to lunch on their breaks. Tommy Lee Jones just looks surly and grouches a lot... though his millions of dollars of shares increase in value, thank goodness.

The huge house and top-of-the-range German cars are on the line though as times get truly 'slightly uncomfortable' but thankfully it's Afflecks' sons' X-Box that goes first and the awful step down to manual labour doesn't seem so bad when you can master the wielding of a nail-gun in five minutes flat.

Corporate America is often an ugly thing, and this trite, patronising offering is no exception. It is almost nauseating in its' attempt to extract some sort of audience feeling for these greedy, grasping corporate 'executives'.

Who cares ?

There have been a lot of films about the harsh reality of achieving the American dream and finding out it's not what you expected it would be. But there has rarely been a film like this, one that explores what happens when you achieve the American dream and have it ripped away from you. On paper, the film has some very interesting concepts. It aims to explore the impact on a man and his family when he has his job taken away, a man who has built his entire world around his job and his professional position in the world. It opens itself to some very intriguing ideas, but unfortunately the execution is pretty pedestrian. It follows three men, played with no diversity from their usual selves by Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper. The plots for Cooper and especially Jones had me pretty bored, there's typical depression and a really laughable extramarital affair and neither actor does much to elevate beyond what they normally do.

However where the film works, and what ultimately won me over in it, was with Ben Affleck's storyline. Here is where the film hits it's stride; it becomes a fascinating study of a man who has built this entire world, has it crumble around him and then needs to put the pieces back together. A man who has put his entire life into his job and then realizes that he needs to make it about who he actually is, as a person. Affleck is the perfect actor for this role, displaying that humanity and genuine personality he always has. He's a very talented actor and now that he's choosing the right roles it's always a pleasure to watch him perform. This is where the film succeeds, in his character and his performance, and it's what makes me forgive the droll mess that the rest of the picture entails.

3 businessmen lose their jobs and react in different ways. I didn't dislike the film but it's not anything to write home about either. I never felt much sympathy for the characters though Chris Cooper is as always a standout.

in 2010-2011 where the world is collapsing, the arab world is in turmoil, people being killed daily in poor African countries and much more... who gives a damn about a corporate douche who's used to play golf and grow his debt? oh right.. he cannot afford an xbox 360 so his son, out of his own conviction mind you, returns it to the store.

lame in my honest opinion.

seriously, there are such incredible stories of human perseverance to tell, people struggling with real difficulties. look at India, look at brasil and it's history, look at the middle east for crying out loud.

with all the sympathy i have for ben's character, i cannot identify with it whatsoever.

should you go see it? if you can afford the time. good cast, great directing and cinematography (by one of my favs Roger Deakins).

I was able to find this online even though it's not at the movies, yet. The thing I like most about the movie is how it accurately depicts how the rich are getting richer in this recession while the bottom falls out for most of us. The daily news seems to report job losses in a matter-of-fact fashion these days. This movie puts a personal face on these out-of-work people - though dealing with it from the executive's perspective. I guess making a movie about how those on the lower economic spectrum - those MOST affected - just wouldn't be appealing enough for Hollywood. There would be the inconvenience of telling a story in which ALL of the characters remained in dire straits at the end - the way things still are today. I guess - like the politicians - Hollywood seems to be big on building hope in this one. At least by dealing with the layoffs from the executive's perspective, they were able to show some people NOT rebounding, but others actually getting their feet back under them. All in all, worth watching.

Three loyal executives get axed in a corporate downsizing frenzy that upends their lives. They each cope differently as they slip through the cascading stages of anger, humiliation, anxiety, introspection and so on, until they find their own resolve.

I saw this at the Sundance Film Festival premiere in Brookline, MA, prepared to be gripped by the powerhouse cast and the up-and-coming writer/director, John Wells. However, plot twists appear to have been on backorder, and the situations add up to little more than a sidelined subplot of Up In the Air. This is a situation drama, sort of like a situation comedy without the comedy (although it does have some humor).

Fortunately, the cast is a treat. Ben Affleck is convincing as the shot-down hotshot, Bobby Walker. And who can resist Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper as the older casualties? But they act more like boys than men, exhibiting the angst of spoiled teens. This is not to say that job loss and financial ruin are to be taken lightly. It's just that the men could have used some deeper dimension and pithier dialog like that in Glengarry Glen Ross, which much more powerfully conveys similar kinds of employee desperation and employer evil.

Rosemarie DeWitt as Maggie Walker admirably plays Bobby's (Affleck's) adult supervision. (Of interest, she is married in real life to Ron Livingston, the hero of Office Space, a cult favorite with a comedic take on similar themes.) Kevin Costner tries something different as a brash building contractor who helps Walker. However, his over-the-top Boston accent works against him, as does his apparent ignorance of how to do a proper renovation (plywood, really?).

There are a couple of odd distractions. For instance, Tommy Lee Jones's character says his CEO pal (played by Craig T. Nelson) was his college roommate, when we all know Jones roomed with Al Gore.

In short, Wells as a writer/director is not (at least yet) a David Mamet or a Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone was a triumph). But if you downsize your expectations, you may enjoy this anyway.

"The Company Men" is one of those that really showcases what it's been like the last couple of years especially in the corporate world of how the layoffs and downsizing have affected many families and the lives of other people. It shows that it's tough when you fall down and that life is hard when you have to adjust economically really one has to rediscover their fate and way of living.

Set in Boston at the height of the economic crisis and collapse director John Wells paints a pretty and somewhat unpleasant picture of how the corporate world changes many lives by downsizing. It centers around the lives of three men who work at a corporate company GTX. And top sells leader Bobby Walker(Ben Affleck)all of a sudden one day is canned and let go as the company can't afford to pay his salary as demands and stocks fall along with the sales of GTX. Then next is a veteran manager Phil Woodward(Chris Cooper)a man who somewhat is cut in the back and let go in a harsh way. And this greatly affects the life of both it even drives Phil to a deadly depression. And Bobby's world is turned upside down as going from $120,000 a year to roughly $60,000 to maybe $80,000 is a big drop. As it affected Bobby's money world no more golf lessons, gone is the expensive car and maybe Patriot tickets.

Heartfelt and life changing is seeing Bobby take up working construction for his wife's brother(Kevin Costner)going from suit and tie to hard hat! The wild card and conflicted character in the movie is veteran GTX manager Gene McClary(Tommy Lee Jones)a man who's loyal yet hard headed for the company in the meantime deep down Gene knows what's going on at GTX is not right. Plus McClary is a very conflicted man he's stressed plus he's cheating on his wife with a company employee the sexy and elegant Sally Wilcox(Maria Bello).

During it all the trio of men feel the highs and lows of life and it's ever changing economic and social climates. Really it's a time to ponder and rediscover as it proves for both Bobby and Gene it's never late to start over even if it is less still it's a change and rediscovery of happiness. Overall good film that captures the reality of the corporate and economic recessions of the last few years it's so true of how companies do downsizing of their men which alters and changes lives forever.

Greetings again from the darkness. With a successful TV writing background ("ER" and "West Wing"), writer/director John Wells tackles the economic downturn in his first feature film. The story offers perspective on how a corporation's blind focus on profit wins out over employee loyalty when times get tough.

Craig T Nelson stars as James Salinger, who along with Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones) started the GTX company years ago. The company made its name in ship-making and is now a conglomerate charged with shareholder return despite the economic recession. No mystery how to do that ... start cutting employees. Hundreds of them. Get the lawyers involved so the perfect balance of elder statesmen and young guns can be established - gotta avoid those lawsuits!

The initial focus is on Bobby Walker, hotshot salesman played by Ben Affleck. When he gets laid off, his initial reaction is anger followed by denial. While his wife, Rosemarie DeWitt, starts making practical plans on how to get through the crisis, her husband continues playing golf and driving his Porsche ... foolishly believing this makes him look "successful". He expresses near disgust when his brother-in-law played by Kevin Costner offers him a job on his home remodeling team. Of course, he can't picture himself "banging nails".

Next up is self-made man Phil Woodward, played with total annoyance by Chris Cooper. He is the first to realize that the image he had of his value to the company and his family was a total facade, and his reaction is not pretty.

As the film moves forward, we see how the strength of DeWitt's character not only holds her family together, but also helps her husband realize his self-value is not in his job, but rather with his loved ones ... including his parents.

The film really doesn't offer much other than a reminder that what makes us who we are is really not tied to a title or job description. It's also an example of how tough times bring out the best and worst in people and can draw a family much closer ... or drive a wedge. Character is revealed when tough choices are forced.