The Company Men (R)

THE COMPANY MEN (R)

MOVIESAL'S RATING: C

Cast:

Ben Affleck.....Bobby Walker

Tommy Lee Jones....Gene McClary

Chris Cooper...Phil Woodward

Hey, did you know we're in a recession? Did you know people are losing their jobs, from the bottom to the top? Did you know job hunting freaking sucks?

Of course you know all that. Everyone does. No one is this country hasn't either been effected personally or knows someone effected by the recession. You know what DOESN'T make it any better, however? This movie.

Briefly, Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck, and Chris Cooper all play men fired by their big, heartless corporation. Being forced back into the job market hits them all hard. It doesn't hit the audience any easier.

Don't get me wrong. This movie is well-done, well-acted, and well-written. But what a depressing movie! I knew it would be struggles and hardships, but I kept waiting for the hope. Sadly, the hope never came. It just got worse and more depressing. Even at the end, the light at the end of the tunnel didn't really satisfy me and fill me with hope in the triumph of the human spirit. It made me want to step in front of a bus.

On the bright side, I am happy to report that Ben Affleck is continuing his streak of non-crap movies that is slowly rebuilding his tarnished reputation. His performance in this is solid and even-handed. It's not a particularly difficult role, but it shows he is capable of being on screen without being laughed at for being awful. I'm a little nervous. Without Ben Affleck, who will I mock mercilessly? At least there's always Lindsay Lohan...

The screenplay errs on the side of silted dialogue and blatant sentimentality a few more times than I would like, but over all it's solid. It moves at leisurely pace, which at times feels a little too leisurely. I wasn't sad to see it end.

My major complaint would be that not enough time is spent on the Tommy Lee Jones character and his complicated personal life. There are obvious tensions at home with his wife, he's having an affair...these things are briefly explored, but never to the point we ever really understand what's motivating him or why he's not a scumbag for cheating on his wife. Everything is merely hinted at, and not very well. I'm sure the original screenplay did this storyline more justice than the final cut of the movie, but as it stands it wasn't enough for me.

I went into this movie hoping the human spirit would triumph over everything. As I left the theater, all I felt was a desire for Ben and Jerry's.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Entertaining? Not as such.

Enlightening? Somewhat, I suppose.

Summary: I suppose this is reality as we know it today. I was just hoping for something better than that.