The Company Men

            How does it feel to be unemployed? Many people could provide an answer to that question based on their own experience. A lot of those people can base that feeling off of an experience from within the last couple years. Heck, if I wanted, I could go on about my experience in the last year of being unemployed and the hardships of finding a job in the field I want. I'm not going to do that though don't worry. I don't even want to write about it, none the less I'm positive no one wants to read it. However, this is the subject of which The Company Men deals with. In fact it deals with much more than the college grad who has a hard time getting a job, but with the millions of Americans in their 30s-50s who have lost their jobs due to the recession.
            Ben Affleck stars as Bobby Walker, a successful salesman for a shipping company in Boston. He makes 6-figures a year, is part of country club, has a wife and kids, and a big house. He's living the good life. All of it comes to a halt however, once he is laid-off without any notice. He is thrown into the unknown world of unemployment and quickly learns the consequences of not having a job. From here Bobby must face the tough reality that he's not alone in his search and that rebounding to the same height he was at before is highly unlikely.
           Though the story centers mainly around Bobby and his struggles, there is a really good sub plot with the films main supporting characters, Gene McClary and Phil Woodward. Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones) is a high ranking executive at Bobby's company. Though the company is going through massive downsizing, he sees no misfortune come his way. However, unlike the CEO, played by Craig T. Nelson (Parenthood), Gene feels sympathetic and disheartened by the downsizing and does what he can to prevent it from happening. Phil Woodward is played by Chris Cooper (October Sky), and finds himself in a bit of a stickier situation than Bobby. Phil desperately tries to hang onto his job as he's worked his way up from the factory floor and finds that his age could be a problem if he were to find himself out of a job.
           I find this movie somewhat comparable to "Up In The Air", as its heavy, dramatic story line is centered around the same issue; the affect of the recession on everyday Americans. Unlike "Up In The Air" though, The Company Men lacks any real comic relief. I think that's what lacked here, and with such a heavy subject that many people can personally connect too, you run the risk of just being downright overly depressing. I feel this movie toed the line with this feeling throughout the movie, yet kept itself from crossing it completely.
          Overall, I liked the characters and the angle that the writers took on this subject. It was cast very well, and they all performed above par. Kevin Costner stuck out to me for his quality performance, though minimal, as Bobby's blue collar working brother-in-law. Plus, Maria Bello (Grown Ups, Coyote Ugly) did a good job too as the senior HR rep stuck with the crummy job of laying off everyone. Again though, the acting was sharp yet I felt the story could have been crisper and not so set on showing the depressing nature of the story at all times.
           I give this movie a thumbs up and 2 1/2 out 4 stars. Please realize going in that you're going to watch a heavy drama from start to finish, so it may not be the perfect popcorn movie for a Friday date night. None the less it's a quality film and I recommend it. It's available through Netflix, OnDemand on Xfinity, and at your local Redbox. Enjoy!

Editor's Note: My next review will be on the film Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams