The Company Men (2010)

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.