Some people may find that The Company Men hits a little too close to home. The movie follows a handful of employees at a large shipping company at the height of the recent economic downturn. It takes an unflinching look at what happens to their jobs, their marriages, their friends, and their honor. An excellent cast including Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Ben Affleck, Maria Bello, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Chris Cooper make this film riveting and believable.
The film takes a unique approach by focusing on these men who, by most people’s standards, are fairly well off. By humanizing their plight(s) without vilifying the men, we are able to relate to their universal struggles. After all, it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, losing a marriage or one’s dignity is going to hurt no matter what. That’s what I loved so much about the film. You want to hate the characters, but through the course of the film, you come to realize these guys are just like you and I.
Ben Affleck plays Bobby, a hotshot sales director with the company. He’s got a giant house (mortgaged to the hilt), a hot wife, and a fancy car. He’s living the dream. When corporate downsizing begins, his head is one of the first on the chopping block. He’s shell shocked and embarrassed, but he is confident he’ll find another job in no time.
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