“MEN OUT OF WORK”
Starring: Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, and Craig T. Nelson
Directed by: John Wells
MPAA Rating: R for language and brief nudity
Genre: Comedy and Drama
Running Time: 1 hr 53 min
Distributed by: The Weinstein Company
By John Delia
Stunning performances make The Company Men disturbing, yet a wake up call to our decaying work force. The film targets the heavy problems caused by downsizing, especially jobs at the top of the food chain. Although you may think that this subject matter couldn’t be entertaining, what makes it exciting is the way it gets handled on the screen. I enjoyed this film as much as Up In The Air, maybe even a little more.
The Company Men centers on Bobby Walker (Affleck), one of many top performers in a large corporation. He has a great home, plays golf often and drives a Porsche. Not a worry in the world, or so he thinks. Following a perfect day on the links he arrives at work right on time to find out his company is downsizing by eliminating duplicate jobs, his job. Disturbed and disheartened Bobby takes it very badly. His brother-in-law (Kevin Kostner) takes him in as a day laborer so he can provide for his family. When friend and associate Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) heads into a depressive spiral, Bobby’s realm seems bleak, that is until they have a meeting with their old boss Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones).
The acting here makes the film work and although the genre shows comedy along with the drama, this is more of a stark reality call that is more depressive than funny. Affleck turns in another perfect performance (The Town) as the younger guy who fears for his family with the loss of a promising future. I could feel his pain coming off the screen and that’s what makes The Company Men work. In support, Chris Cooper’s delivery of the psychological trauma an older person goes through when he suffers a loss like this, defines the word irritate.
Direction here looks like a walk in the park for John Wells dealing with the excellent team of actors and his own great script. This marks his first time directing but he has been a filmmaker since 1987 with such films as The Peacemaker, One Hour Photo and The Good Thief.  Taking the reins and doing a splendid job for his first occasion with all the power over the action, proves he can be even a greater filmmaker at this level.
The film is rated R for language and brief nudity.