The Company Men poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello, Kevin Costner ... see more see more... , Rosemarie DeWitt , Craig T. Nelson , Eamonn Walker , Tom Kemp , Nancy Villone , Patricia Kalember , Maryann Plunkett , Lewis D. Wheeler , Celeste Olivia , Kathy Harum , Allyn Burrows , David DeBeck , David Catanzaro , James Colby , Austin Lysy , John Doman , Brian A. White , Cady Huffman , Adrianne Krstansky , William Hill , Frank Ridley , Anthony Estrella , David Wilson Barnes , Dana Eskelson , Carolyn Pickman , Scott Winters , Anthony O'Leary , Tonye Patano , Sasha Spielberg , Ruby Hondros , Rena Maliszewski , Thomas Rhett Kee , Craig Mathers , Gary Galone , Angela Rezza , Jeff Barry , Sanjit DeSilva , Elizabeth Dann , Cindy Lentol , Lance Greene , Dossy Peabody , Annette Miller , Bill Mootos , Ellen Colton , Gloria Crist , Dan Perrault , Richard C. Snee , Gene Amoroso , Alan Dary , Jack Ehrgott , Kent Shocknek , Chris Everett , Denece Ryland , Jason Martinez , Suzanne Rico , Richard Italiano, Jr.

Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is living the American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing leaves him and co-workers Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) and ... read more read more...Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones) jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands, and fathers.

Bobby soon finds himself enduring enthusiastic life coaching, a job building houses for his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) which does not play to his executive skill set, and perhaps the realization that there is more to life than chasing the bigger, better deal. With humor, pathos, and keen observation, writer-director John Wells (the creator of "ER") introduces us to the new realities of American life. -- (C) Weinstein

Flixster Users

55% liked it

31,151 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

156 critics

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Directed by: John Wells

Release Date: January 21, 2011

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: June 7, 2011

Get It:

Stats: 1,645 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Kevin Costner and Ben Affleck The Company Men The Company Men The Company Men The Company Men The Company Men The Company Men The Company Men
Upload a Photo | View All The Company Men Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (1,645)

  • cosmo313
    April 15, 2012
    cosmo313
    Written and directed by John Wells (ER, The West Wing), this is a timely and relevant story about the effects of corporate downsizing during the recent economic recession in the U.S.

    The film follows typical all American white collar worker Bobby Walker who enjoys living the Am... read moreerican Dream, complete with Porsche, nice house, country club membership, and lots of expensive meals and material possessions. All of that comes crashing down when his company decides they no longer need him, or veteran co-workers like his boss Gene McClary and Phil Woodward.

    Being let go forces all of these men, but especially Bobby, to reevaluate their lots in life and their self worths, and reclaim their lives, which used ot be dominated by their work.

    This is a very noble and honorable film, so it is unfortuante that it's not really all that good. PArt of the problem is that it feels like TV melodrama, which makes sense given Wells's background. Also, this is all very bland, with clunky dialogue and no surprises with the outcomes. There's one hell of a cast, which ultiamtely saves things, and, while they do the best they can with the material, it's not quite enough to make the film fully recommendable.

    Affleck actually puts in a solid performance, his first in a while, and we do actually care about him and his struggles. Veterans like Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, and Craig T. Nelson lend lots of class and much needed gravitas to things, but again, the film doesn't quite become anything very remarkable. Aside from an iffy Boston accent Costner is fine, and I love Maria Bello, but she could have been given a lot more to do here.

    Honestly, this does have a lot of good moments to it, and it is well meaning, but it's ultimately not very memorable or quite as strong as it should have been. No matter how noble things may be, that can't help you much with a weak script and not enough inspiration.
  • paulsandberg
    December 28, 2011
    paulsandberg
    A sonnet for the times, Company Men delves (albeit a bid heavy handedly) into the current corporate, capitalistic and opportunistic system we've created, as well as it's cost on the human side of the ledger.

    3 generations of men get the lens focused on them while the company t... read morehey all work for slashes jobs in an effort to keep profitable and ultimately sell their stocks for an absurd amount. For better or worse you have Ben Affleck as the 30 something man in charge of east coast sales for a department of a huge corporation. He spends many a day smoozing his customer base - 3 hour lunches at fine restaurants and days spent on the golf course - all while having the requisite two kids, loving wife, large house (and mortgage), and a Porsche. His story is the linchpin of the film, which is unfortunate as his story is the most predictable and carries the least weight, as he goes from the certainty that he will find a top job immediately, to the unemployment line and moving into his parent's home as he discovers that the 2009 crash means that no-one is hiring white collar, upper management types.

    You'd like to feel sorry for Affleck and his kind - but his fall from grace, while a reality check, isn't as dire as it seems - just a bit of embarrassment that the country club gang is going to have to try to ignore as they revoke his privileges and think "what a loser" of their former "golden boy". I'm sure if Affleck was one of the survivors he'd probably feel the same way.

    Far more interesting is the story of Tommy Lee Jones, as the head of the ship building division and right hand man to the company's founder. The last thing he or the viewer would expect is that after a lifetime of friendship and servitude Jones would get amputated at the knees - just for calling a spade a spade and choosing not to play the high stakes game of bluff that seems to enthrall corporate America. His character shows nobility throughout which makes him someone to root for... and of course he's Tommy Lee Jones, so you're going to root for him anyway!

    Jones' acting is understated and sincere, as is Chris Cooper as a middle manager getting axed while close to retirement age. His plight is what you find truly irksome about corporate America - as, at his age, he stands very little chance of getting hired, even with a boatload of experience and expertise under his belt. In one of the film's better insights, it shows Cooper as a man who defines himself by his job - he's given his life to it, and all the trappings of success don't register to him; as if they are all there just to please his wife.

    It is Cooper and Jones who show the great acting chops, although Kevin Costner is fine in a small typecast role as a blue-collar carpenter. Affleck is adequate and most of the rest of the roles are superfluous, though I found Rosemarie DeWitt as Affleck's wife to be uneven - whether it was a case of acting or that she was saddled with a poor script I'll let you decide.

    Really, this film had a good pace and some strong acting - but it just seemed so pat; even the ending, which showed a man willing to pay it forward to dream - while a worthwhile sentiment, it, like so much of the film, was too much about an ideal and not enough of a dose of reality, in spite of the subject matter.
  • katykern8261
    September 22, 2011
    katykern8261
    Directed (and written) by John Wells, The Weinstein Company, 2010. Starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson, Chris Cooper and Kevin Costner.

    Genre: Drama

    Question: How many of you are worried about your job or not making enough money to support yo... read moreu and your family? I bet it is more than a few of you. Well, I just finished watching The Company Men and if you are one of those few, who have been downsized, fired, let go, etc...don't watch this movie. You will just get more depressed.

    I know that is not my normal glowing recommendation for a movie. However, I actually liked the film and thought it was done very well - perhaps too well because it was so real. Bottom line this movie is about how the greed of some can crush the ones below them, and to hell with the consequences. The Company Men shows the ripple (and sometimes tsunami) effect when layoffs happen at a company. Sound familiar? Since 2008 everyone has been touched in one form or another with the economy so this movie just brought back everything we first feared, what we have lived through and are currently enduring...


    For more of my review: http://www.tiredofpreviews.com/2011/09/company-men.html
  • Screeny
    August 20, 2011
    Screeny
    I don't know about you, but when I go to the movies I go to escape the world around me, leave reality outside, and enjoy something original. Your probably thinking: "Why would I want to go and watch a movie about the economic struggles people are facing in the world today? Someth... read moreing that I'm struggling with?". Well, folks, that's what makes "The Company Men" so intriguing. It's taking a problem from American society today and presenting it on the big-screen right in front of our eyes to remind us, not that we've forgotten, of course. It's slow-paced, depressing, but also very realistic and that's what makes this film really worth the watch.

    The year is 2010 and GTX, a large corporation, has no choice but to cut jobs to improve the company's balance. A family man in Boston, a CEO, and a older employee with no hope of ever getting hired in another company because of his age all take the hit and the movie focuses on a year in their lives and their struggles in the new world without money. It's hard to feel any sympathy for the characters considering what your witnessing may be happening to you and by the end of the film you wonder what the point of it all was. To make audiences more depressed? To give them an uplifting spirit to do something about the economy? Do what? While I enjoyed most of the film, it was afterwards where I really wondered to myself why a movie like this had to be made during the recession. If you want to escape reality at the movies, then obviously, "The Company Men" wouldn't be your first choice.

    Ben Affleck stars as the Boston family man named Bobby Walker. Wait, are you seriously surprised about that? Its quite obvious that Affleck isn't the best of actors, but, what is obvious is that if he is given the right material he can sure do something with it. For the past decade or so, Affleck has presented audiences with nothing but flops, really, and it was "The Town" that actually put him back on the right track. "The Company Men" keeps him on that line, and hopefully, he stays on this track. "The Company Men", of course, isn't as good as "The Town", but, Affleck sure does give a much better performance. His role as Bobby Walker is like any family man in America nowadays, he's filled with pride and determined to keep a roof over his family's head under any costs. When he gets a job with his brother-in-law, played by Kevin Costner, as a carpenter, we see the character's new view on society by the end of the film. Chris Cooper plays a CEO who gets a pink slip telling him his time has come. One of enjoys five-hundred dollar lunches and anything over price, Cooper's character, Phil, is one that always keeps in wonder to how he'll end up by the film's conclusion. Tommy Lee Jones is the third set of eyes we see through in the film and plays Gene McClary, an older man of the company who has been recently fired by his best friend, played by Craig T. Nelson. Determined to start his own firm, we see McClary's struggle in every making that dream possible, if it even is. Watching this film might be a real depressant for some, but, watching their attempts at fighting back against the economy is uplifting and might just give hope for some.

    John Wells both directs and writes the film and does quite the job on both titles. Mostly a director for the hit TV series, "ER", this is Wells first full-length film. Also being the writer on "ER", this would be the first time Wells really gets a chance at making a film that counts. His work behind the lens never bothered me distracted me from the movie. Sometimes the camera was a little wobbly, but never bad enough to bash on Mr. Wells whose real appreciation goes to his very mellow-dramatic script, which isn't such a bad thing. I like to believe the script for "The Company Men" was good. The intensity and emotions behind all of these character's stays interesting from the beginning to the very end. The dialog between some of the character's may seem a bit dry in most areas, but, the overall point of the film stays fresh between the pages and never goes off topic.

    "The Company Men" may not look like the perfect day at the movies, and believe me, it isn't. This is something to rent or maybe catch on a premium channel a few months after its DVD release date. The realistic, truth behind the film may be a turn-off for some, but the film stays true to the world today and I think it deserves a least your centre of a attention for a rent. The performances here are pretty good, especially Ben Affleck. This may not be Ben Affleck's best movie, but it certainly contains his best performance yet. Rent it.
  • fb733768972
    August 8, 2011
    fb733768972
    The Company Men is an extremely astonishing film from a stock market crash, to job loss, to selling prized possessions and homes, this film truly shows the ups and downs of a rich mans life and just how beautiful life is even without any money. The cast is impeccably brilliant an... read mored they give just enough triumph to the movie so that every single event on screen can be believable. Since this is not based on a true story it is not the most original film, because you can kind of see the end coming as soon as the film reaches it's mid point; However, this film, for what it is and what it is trying to teach is a great one. It's sad, uplifting, gripping, and emotionally true. The Company Men is oddly a must see, but only one time around for me. It is a great subtle film that you can sit back, relax and cherish your life for what it is.
  • CreedsDelight
    August 8, 2011
    CreedsDelight
    I wanted to like this film. I really did. The concept of business interests me and the plot sounded very good but I was bored to death by this overlong piece of trash. The performances were top notch but that doesn't mean that the characters were important. I just didn't care abo... read moreut Affleck's character, and it's pretty hard for me to dislike an Affleck film. If you're looking for a great business film, rent the original Wall Street or Up in the Air.
  • fb100001048934982
    July 28, 2011
    fb100001048934982
    'The Company Men' finds no charm in the situation of its protagonists, which is understandable because its not a charming situation. That doesn't mean it makes for an entertaining film though. The script is good and the cast is very well-rounded and chosen, but the film drags on... read more until the hour and 40 minute run time feels like 3 hours. It sacrifices an audiences' ability to watch the film with ease for an honest approach to the story and its characters. I guess you cant really blame anyone for that.
  • tsigur
    July 9, 2011
    tsigur
    A swing and a miss. This movie had the opportunity to tell a great story about the state of the business world and decided to play it safe with fluff. That doesn't take away from the fact that it is one of the better looking films of the year (thanks completely to the greatest DP... read more we have working today Roger Deakins) and another impressive performance by Ben Affleck. His arc could have been the entire film and I would have liked it more. The problem with the Tommy Lee Jones (he keeps looking worse with every passing film) arc is that I have a hard time believing that a CEO at his level would have this much of a problem with the layoffs. It just doesn't seem fitting seeing what these guys do on a daily basis. When making a film grounded in reality, you have to be sure that certain parts ring true. And his doesn't at all, making the hopeful ending that much more painful to watch.
  • allan913
    July 8, 2011
    allan913
    A knockout. An absolute triumph from Director, John Wells. One of the best pictures of 2011 hands down. An astonishing, deeply moving and extraordinary movie. A remarkable piece of film truly hitting the core of anyone who is living in today's economy. It smacks you with the cold... read more hand of reality. It packs just as much power as it does heart. A sweeping, compelling, funny and fascinating new film with a great artistic eye for storytelling and character development. The performances are beyond brilliant. A flat-out sensational all-star cast that give some of the best performances of their careers. Ben Affleck is outstanding. Kevin Costner is terrific. Chris Cooper is electric. Tommy Lee Jones is excellent. A wonderfully entertaining and incredibly inspirational film.
  • ythelastman89
    June 23, 2011
    ythelastman89
    Just a genuinely great movie that has an important plot and characters that see it through. It's one thing to hear about job loss, but another to see it in front of your face. Watching entire lives crumble and dreams die is powerful even to those who know it themselves. Now it's ... read moreeasy to have a timely story, but you have nothing without effective characters and performances. Ben Affleck gives one of his best efforts here; it's easily one of his most self distanced roles. The supporting cast is ridiculously well put together; you can't do better than Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner and Chris Cooper. I like that this takes the time to go through the whole process of losing a job, a way of life and finally question the necessity of a big time job to begin with. Every moment had a purpose and every character made an impression; that's rare for movies like this. The Company Men is so realistic that you really begin to see these characters as real people and a reflection of our job market. Somehow, it avoids being a sap story at all and just pulls off being a drama that nearly everyone can relate to. The Company Men doesn't have overly depressing scenes, mopey subplots, random stabs at happiness or endless crying. It really asks you to see the story and characters for what they are and take something from it.

View All The Company Men Reviews

Critic Reviews

Rafer Guzman
February 11, 2011
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

Everything is pat, from the stereotyped characters (Kevin Costner plays the noble blue-collar worker) to the obvious plot turns. Full Review

Tom Long
January 28, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

This is a film without spark. The frustrations are real, but they are neither terribly entertaining nor enlightening. Full Review

Roger Moore
January 28, 2011
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

The Company Men will connect with anyone for whom "the new reality" of today's economy hits close to home. But anyone looking for insights deeper than the business world cliches in writer-director Joh... Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
January 21, 2011
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

"The Company Men" is a worthwhile outing that takes despair - but also resilience - seriously. Full Review

Dana Stevens
January 21, 2011
Dana Stevens, Slate

The venerated American export that The Company Men most recalls isn't seagoing vessels -- it's hourlong dramatic television shows. Full Review

Rick Groen
January 21, 2011
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Turns out three stories are two too many. The Company Men should have been downsized. Full Review

Stephanie Merry
January 21, 2011
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post

This tale smacks viewers with a reality that's hard to imagine paying money to see in a theater. And yet, here we are. Full Review

Scott Bowles
January 20, 2011
Scott Bowles, USA Today

It's simple stuff, but the movie's heart is in the right place. Full Review

Colin Covert
January 20, 2011
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Glengarry Glen Ross" and "Office Space" made most of the same points vividly long ago. "The Company Men" is a lovingly prepared dish served cold and stale. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
January 20, 2011
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Though not blessed with a cinematic eye, Wells is a gifted storyteller who gets nuanced performances from most of his actors. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Pursuit of Happyness
    The Pursuit of Happyness (100%)
  • Wall Street
    Wall Street (98%)
  • Glengarry Glen Ross
    Glengarry Glen Ross (100%)
  • Extract
    Extract (22%)

More Movies like The Company Men

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Danny Mills: You wanna be a big cop in a small town? Fuck off up the model village.
    • Danny Mills: Gee, I wonder why she never calls you back.
    • Danny Mills: It feels good though.
    • Bobby Walker: I will win! Why? Because I have Faith! Courage! Enthusiasm!
    • Jack Dolan: Can I be honest with you Bobby? You should take that job. You're a shitty carpenter.
    • Jack Dolan: You know if things get tough, I can always use some extra help this winter.
    • Gene McClary: We could make something here. Start out with a crazy plan.
    • Bobby Walker: Start slow and see if it will grow.
  • In America, we give our lives to our jobs. It's time to take them back.
Submit a Fact | View All

The Company Men : Watch Free on TV

The Company Men Trivia

  • In the film In The Company Of Men, the two men in the film try to date a woman with what disability?  Answer »
  • In the Company of Men, directed by Neil Labute, features a contest between two men to date the same disabled woman. What is her disability?  Answer »
  • (Pirates of Carribean 3) Why did Lord Beckett's men wear blue instead of the traditional British Red?   Answer »
More The Company Men Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Company Men. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All The Company Men Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add The Company Men to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View The Company Men News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?