The Company Men hit all of the bases in portraying what life in like ina downsized economy circa 2010, where even highly paid executives withgood pedigrees are not immune from the ax. The movie is somewhatjarring at first as we watch Ben Affleck trying to lighten up his dailymeeting by discussing his golf score, not knowing that his subordinateshave gotten the word while he hasn't. The audience is in denial alongwith Bobby Walker who is shocked that someone as talented as he couldpossibly be laid off. Bobby is sort of a dick really who doesn't muchcare about the others who got laid off, only himself. Company Men isunflinching in showing how bad situations in work are only really baddepending on how it affects us. None of the characters are verysympathetic at first. They are upper middle class types living inexpensive homes, driving nice cars, sending their kids to Italy, andpaying for expensive vacations. In short they are living the Americandream but also living beyond their means on the credit cars. They allfind out how easily it can all come crashing down in a downturn. Theycan't even depend on the equity in their homes to tide them over. Whatseems incomprehensible becomes reality - moving back into their parentshomes. Even worse happens but that would be a plot spoiler.

Sometimes it is the little things that make a movie ring true - theendless time spent in barren corporate waiting rooms waiting to beinterviewed for a job that pays half of your previous salary. Or areceptionist sending you down the hall to a chair to wait, only to seetwo dozen other out of work types waiting to be interviewed for thesame job. Pretty depressing stuff to anyone who has been through this.

The movie is saved from being a total downer by Bobby Walkers wifeplayed to perfection by Rosemarie DeWitt. She is the loving wife whoknows the budget needs to be cut, and is willing to go back to work andmake whatever sacrifices necessary while the husband is upset that theycan't afford his golf club membership anymore. The other saving graceis Tommy Lee Jones playing an old school executive who still believesin taking care of his employees especially the ones like Phil Woodwardwho started at the bottom when the firm was brand new and working hisway up to the executive ranks. Phil, played by Chris Cooper is 60 yearsold and trying to compete with thirty year old willing to put in 70hour weeks. Phil is now expendable. He makes too much money. Of courseall of these executives are entitled to outplacement assistance whichis depressing in itself and the out-placers all have this phonypositive outlook and undue familiarity with their unemployed patrons.Phil is told to dye his hair and remove any work references earlierthan 1990 and to only say he is a combat veteran but not that he servedin Vietnam. The film also focuses on the CEO play to superb nastinessby Craig T. Nelson who only knows one master - Wall Street. They demanda higher stock price or else the firm is a takeover candidate. As theCEO, James Salinger, he reminds Tommy Lee Jones that the firm is not acharity. Salinger cuts staff without a second thought but he won't giveup the new expensive digs they will be moving to with expansive viewsof downtown Boston, nor his out sized paycheck 700 times what hisaverage employee makes. That is the essence of this movie, a realisticportrayal of how fast the good life can disappear in a corporate worldin which there is no loyalty but to the stock market analysts.

Bob quotes his salary as GTX as "$120,000." Are we supposed to believethat's a credible Boston-area salary for an executive of the level heappears to be? Come on. . . .

Bob's wife quotes a realtor as saying they "could" get $800,000 fortheir home. Wait .... their living in a house worth 6.6 times hissalary? I've known buyers who were overextended, or "stretched," butcome on . . . They'd be in trouble if he DIDN'T get laid off! In onescene Bob's son is angry because his parents won't drop him at afriend's house "in Cotuit." It appears the screenwriters are a littleweak on eastern Mass. geography. Cotuit is on Cape Cod, about 80-90miles south of this family's home on the north shore!! Perhaps I'moverly anal-retentive about details of this nature, instead of beingaccepting of this sort of artistic license. I admit, I'm fussy aboutfacts.

John Wells, well known for being the show-runner behind long runninghits, The West Wing and ER, writes and directs this fantastic filmabout corporate downsizing and how affects the lives of three men. Setin Boston, Massachusetts, a fictional company, GTX, is reeling from theeconomic crisis and is cutting jobs left and right to appeaseshareholders in an attempt to drive up their stock price. The scene toopen the movie is quite powerful in the way it captures the feeling of"this sort of thing can happen to anybody, when you least expect it".

The movie stars Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Chris Cooper. Eachactor plays the role of an employee at GTX, with Jones' character beingsomeone in executive management, Cooper's a notch or so below him, andAffleck as a highly paid salesman. These characters don't have too muchinteraction on screen, the film examines more the relationships betweenthemselves and their families, neighbors, and communities. The threeactors turn in pretty incredible performances, and its a wonder thatthe film wasn't released earlier in 2010 to be eligible for awardsconsideration. Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, and Rosemarie DeWitt alsoplay pivotal roles in the film and do superior jobs at beingenrapturing and authentic.

The film reminds me a lot of, Up in the Air, and perhaps that's thereason it wasn't released for awards consideration, but instead forcommercial ambitions, because Reitman's already did that. But, it'svery different than the prior film in how it depicts the lives of thosehigher up the corporate ladder and the descent that occurs when one'sincome disappears. Critics can take shots at Wells pacing of the movie,but it's no easy feat to write and direct a major motion picture and Ibelieve he does an excellent job at showing and challenging severalaspects of American culture and lifestyle. Definitely, worth a watch.

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

(My Comment) This is a story of what many workers in the U.S. areenduring during the present economic crisis. Many companies are cuttingjobs by the thousands to placate their shareholders by reducing thecompany'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. Itfirst affects them internally, then their families, and finally thecommunities they live in. Out of work people first resist changingtheir lifestyles, then they go into denial, and finally acceptance ofthe hand they have been dealt. Ben Affleck's outstanding performance ofenduring disappointment of not finding a job and worry for notproviding for his family proved this point. The moral of the story isthat we should not take our jobs for granted. (The Weinstein Company,1:49 Rated R) (7/10)