The Company Men

Last week I went to see the documentary 'Inside Job' about the Global Financial Crisis. This is a more intimate look at what happened.

I had fairly high expectations for this film because it was written and directed by John Wells who worked on one of my all time favourite TV series 'The West Wing'. I am very impressed with John's effort here. In some ways it can be hard to sympathise with executives from a company when they drives expensive cars and live in nice looking houses. However John has shown us that people at all levels can be effected in much the same way when they loose their job. In this film Booby Walker has had it good but now must learn to cope with the cheaper options. As well as doing work he would normally feel is beneath him. Maybe seeing a high flyer cut down makes a more interesting film. I found the film got better as it goes along and the story becomes more interesting. While the story follows a pretty predictable path and the characters are familiar you can still find enjoyment in the film.

The big joy in the film is the performances. Ben Affleck seems to be going from strength to strength. It is great that he is taking smaller films like this. He is backed up by an excellent cast. Tommy Lee Jones brings a great deal of dignity to his role and shows that even those at the top are not immune. I've been watching Rosemarie DeWitt on 'The United States Of Tara' and think she's an excellent actress. She is nicely less dysfunctional here. I have a great deal of respect for Kevin Costen who has an excellent small role in the film. The only disappointment is Chris Cooper who plays a character he's played a few times before.

An excellent cast brings out their best in this drama about loosing your job. While they are the richer folk it is nice to see them cut down.