Film Reviews

The Company Men

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Kevin Costner
• Details: US/103mins 15A

There are few more topical subject matters right now than the incessant loss of jobs happening on a global scale. The upper-middle classes seem to be the ones most severely hit, and that's where John Wells' directorial debut takes its cues from. This low-key film would work quite well as a (somewhat depressing) double-feature with Up In The Air, but despite some lovely performances and solid drama, is nowhere near as emotive as the Clooney flick. That said, there are few more socially relevant films showing at your local multiplex right now.
Ben Affleck is a white collar worker earning a six figure annual salary, with a huge mortgage and Porche payments. When the company he's working for needs to downsize in order to up its share price, he and some other long-term employees are fired. Struggling to find work, he must deal with the harsh realities of unemployment in a dauntingly bleak climate. Meanwhile, Tommy Lee Jones' boss, further up the hierarchy, seems to be the only one left with scruples in the entire company.
Far from being a "woe is me" account of the financial demise of one particularly smug character, Wells' script attempts to look at the indulgence that took this guy there in the first place. Where it fails is its depictions of some of the peripheral characters; Costner's blue collar brother-in-law and Cooper's perpetually desperate fifty-something are both wasted opportunities at telling a different side to the same story - at least there's an attempt with Cooper, though.
The performances are universally stellar. Cooper may be playing a downbeat bastard, but the anguish and fear is evident on his face before he utters a word. Affleck is understated in an poignant central role, but it's Tommy Lee Jones who runs away with the film. Acerbic when he needs to be; noble, yet full of his own intrinsic character flaws, he plays like the last real man near the top of the food chain. He has to make difficult decisions, and face the wrath of those affected by something that didn't involve him - both of which he does with moral fibre. It's a perfectly weighted and lovely performance from the Oscar winner.
An adult drama, with an excellent (if somewhat wasted) ensemble, this will resonate uncomfortably with a lot of cinema goers.

Review by Mike Sheridan