THE COMPANY MEN

RYAN: The new Ben Affleck movie, The Company Men, is kind of like this year's Up In The Air. It's about corporate downsizing and how layoffs affect people and their families.CAROLINE: Yeah, but that's the only thing it has in common with Up In The Air, which is a vastly superior movie. The Company Men is so depressing. It's like a dark, non-comedic, non-romantic Up In The Air, if you must make that comparison.RYAN: I really liked the cast of The Company Men though - there's also Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner and Chris Cooper. And even though it's not based on real events, it's basically a true story of what's happening in this country with the recession. It's really tough to watch at times. CAROLINE: It is, and I think that's part of the reason I didn't like this movie much. It's certainly well cast and well acted, but I couldn't really enjoy the subject matter.RYAN: I actually liked it. It's quiet but engaging, pretty devastating and dramatic and very well written. I really liked the women in it too. There's Rosemarie DeWitt as Ben Affleck's wife, and Maria Bello, who was fabulous and looks amazing.CAROLINE: I don't think she's aging at all. But another reason I didn't really like this movie is all the other negative stuff it covered - adultery, depression, family drama. I found myself wondering if we were gonna get even one uplifting moment.RYAN: Well, you ultimately do. I think it tells a good story. The writer/director, John Wells, apparently wrote the screenplay a while ago and didn't know how timely it would be by the time it came out. This movie is only out in limited release by the way; it'll go wider in January.CAROLINE: Another thing that bugged me about the movie is that so many crucial scenes happened off camera, and then you were forced to figure out what was happening on your own. That made things confusing or just random. I was like, "Why wouldn't they just show that scene?"RYAN: I kind of liked that since I like to fill in the holes myself and try to figure out what's going on.CAROLINE: I think I started out the movie intending to like it and thinking it was OK, but as it went on I liked it less and less and it started to irritate me and bum me out. -- BOTTOM LINE --RYAN: This movie is a rental. It's clearly not a big effects movie that you must see on the big screen. It's dramatic, but not necessarily to the point you're going to be riveted or gasping out loud. But I liked it, and I do think it's worth seeing, especially if you've been going through downsizing or unemployment and you want to see something you can relate to.CAROLINE: I feel like it's the last thing you'd want to watch if you've been laid off. Too depressing. I'd say watch it at your own risk because it might hit close to home. The cast is very good, but that's really the only thing I liked about this movie.-- RATING --Cheeky & Fresh Movie Reviews

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