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In the Company of Men

In the Company of Men

List Price: $27.95
Your Price: $25.16
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Horrifying.
Review: Neil Labute's In The Company of Men is a misogynistic look at the way men has to conquer women in and out of the bedroom. Aaron Eckhart plays a womanizer who makes a bet with a fellow co-worker to seduce a young deaf woman, and dump her in order to feed their misogynistic egos. In their pursuit of this innocent woman, they wine and dine her, and ultimately humiliate her in such a way that can only be describes as inhuman. Neil Labute's psychological masterpiece is a very sobering look at the game both sexes play, and the cruelty that we can inflict on ourselves.

Prepare to be disturbed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Eckhart makes this a masterpiece
Review: dark comedy about Eckhart and his buddies prank calling a deaf woman..they offer her a date and then they would dump her, because he hates upper class women but then Eckhart takes it deeper with his brilliant and outrageous performance..he makes this one hit the bullseye with a fire..Neil LaBoute who directed also has another good movie out there called Your friends and Neighbors..not better then this one but still its a good movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The true face of evil...
Review: One of the most brutally subversive films of the 90s, and since its debut, I can still watch it time and time again. THAT'S the testament of a truly great film. Other people will say I'm nuts, but when you've been stuck watching 'Charlie's Angels" or "Armageddon" for the upteenth time, and a film of substance comes along, you grab it with both hands, and don't let go.

The production values are basically nil. It's a talky film with a mind to skewer both traditional roles of the antagonist/protagonist, and corporate America, and it succeeds brilliantly on both levels. Aaron Eckhart got an unbelieveable amount of hate mail following the release of this film, and I'm not suprised. Why this film didn't get the recognition it deserved is beyond me.

Neil Labute's subsequent film "Your Friends & Neighbours" is almost as good, and certainly worth owning, but this is the one the get. Absolutely essential.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: No no no no no no...
Review: This movie is not just about the whole idea of the 'alpha male' that Chad emulates or misogyny. It is not a representation of the cutthroatness of the workplace. Granted, these are all surface themes. Underneath that surface, however, one can start to recognize the major themes of the film: evil, appearance vs. reality, and others. These, however, are the main ones that I will discuss. I first saw this movie in my English class, as my teacher showed to us as a parallel to Shakespeare's Othello (not that the movie was spawned of the play, but that the stories are remarkably similar). Throughout the movie, it becomes more and more apparent how Chad is the second coming of Iago: he lacks power, so he uses others with less social status (Othello, the moor, and here, Christine, the deaf girl), employing a fool (Roderigo/Howard) whom he tricks into doing his dirty work, then using the results of the plot to his own advantage. The only difference I see is that, while Iago is apprehended and most likely punished after the end of Othello, Chad comes away from the plot entirely unscathed. Both are cruel, unfeeling men who display a false facade in order to gain the trust of others, and then abuse that trust for their own benefits. So, in essence, the movie is more of an exploration into the nature of evil: how it attracts the weak, tramples the helpless, and benefits those with the gall to use or even BE it. An excellent movie.

One unforgettable quote:
"I don't trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesn't die." - Chad

Sorry, that just had me rolling on the floor in laughter...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: ONe of the worst
Review: My title says it all. This is a terrible film; slow, boring, pointless, depressing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not for everyone...
Review: There's a reason that "In the Company of Men", a low budget independent film, the first from writer-director Neil Labute, won an award at the Sundance Film Festival. The reason is not that it is an enjoyable film, but rather that LaBute demonstrates what so few filmmakers are willing to achieve: that film can be art, and not everybody is supposed to understand or like what you are saying.

LaBute captures the self-absorption and resulting cruelty that EVERY alpha male raised in a fraternal corporate environment ever subscribed to - all roled into the unforgettable character of Chad. Using his persuasive skills to get his boss, Howard (Matt Malloy) to go along in this exercise of cruelty, Chad plays the game to the max. Along the way the audience gets the feel for the impersonable, alien corporate environment and good old boy atmosphere so recognizable in the U.S. Chad is portrayed instinctively by young actor Aaron Eckhart, who has traveled with LaBute through this and all subsequent films, sometimes in minor character roles. Eckhart and LaBute obviously have their pacing and teamwork together - Eckhart portrays Chad effortlessly!

LaBute should be congratulated for not allowing "the happy ending", instead twisting his conclusion to find yet another villainous side of Chad.

The DVD is dark, with few special features, and since almost all of the film takes place indoors (an early LaBute signature), the darkness of the tale is heightened by the appearance of the film. Striking out as a writer/director with a "different voice" (ala John Sayles) LaBute made his mark with "In the Company of Men" - and it is a fascinating study for serious film watchers.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Stunning
Review: About my only complaint about this film is that at least on the DVD, the sound is way too low...I had my home theater cranked on maximum volume and still could barely hear the dialogue! Maybe the VHS version would be better.

This film would make my list of required viewing for students entering their first year of college, esp. those who are considering corporate careers, esp. for freshmen who are considering joining a fraternity. This movie lays bare the white-male/frat-boy cum corporate-slimeball/political-animal mentality perfectly and mercilessly.

People, this film is NOT about a sadism or misogyny...if anything, it's a scathing expose of a certain TYPE of maleness: the kind of rubber-faced, snake-in-the-grass, self-absorbed and compulsive megalomaniac that the Aaron Eckhart character, Chad, represents. THESE are the guys who lurk and dominate the real corridors of power in the business and political world...for whome the term "men" in the film's title is ironic at best. LaBute strips away the glorified mask of these so-called "alpha males" to expose the true scum underneath.

And not only the "alphas," but their "beta" groupies too, as symbolized by the Howard character---an otherwise pathetic conformist who first idolizes, then tries to emulate Chad only to end up getting crushed by him at the end.

And that's what the film is really all about: the compulsive and self-absorbed male megalomania that only truly reveals itself during the stunning last 10 minutes of the film. That's where we finally see that this film is not about what some men do to some WOMEN, it's really about what some men do to other MEN.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best ever
Review: Never seen the movie when it was originally released and didn't know much about it. Strolling through the local rental video store shelves, I stumbled onto this priceless gem of a DVD. All I can say is what a picture. Very few movies have impacted me so much as this one. I must admit this is the only movie I've ever watched four times in a row. What's up with this movie, that made me go completely berserk? It is one of those movies, where you cant but help feel like one of the three main characters in the movie, you relate to them, you identify with them and you seeth with anger, envelope in cynicism. You know someone like Chad, Howard or Christine and you yourself are in one of the situations where you felt used, overcame with vengeance, denying your insecurities...'nuff said. See it for yourself. It is a shame that Aaron Eckhart didn't achieve his well deserved stardom, and reduced to doing pathetic side characters such as in 'Any given Sunday', he needs more recognition. After watching this movie, I raided the video store to see other films by director Neil LaBute, I watched 'Your friends and neighbors', 'Nurse Betty' and I'm sad to say, none of them match the deft and craftiness of 'In the company of men'. Hopefully, we see more of Neil LaBute's work in future similar to this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gritty, raw, original, and dark
Review: To start, this is one of my all time favorite movies. The subject matter is gritty, raw, original, and dark. The script and acting are very strong. Best of all, the movie doesn't follow the traditional and trite storyline of creating conflict and then providing a solution and happy ending. The movie tends to ask more questions than it does provide answers.

I read a review that gave this film a bad review because it wasn't a comedy and that one "can't help but feel sorrow for the sweet, young girl; the end, in which Chad finally drops the bomb on her is very heartbreaking".

I would agree that the movie is not a traditional comedy; rather it is a very dark comedy and drama. And, if one feels sorrow and heartbreak for Stacy Edwards's character, the movie has succeeded. It is in this vein - eliciting a wide range of emotions and thoughts from its audience - that the movie is an original success.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Malicious Evil Portrayed In A Frightening Fashion
Review: This fine movie is about human cruelty, malicious evil brought to life. There's a very pretty, funny woman who is attractive to every man she meets. ...

I don't recommend watching In The Company Of Men with your wife or girlfriend. Females won't like this movie at all. A guy who has been stepped on a few times, however, and discarded like trash, will definitely feel a tiny, tiny bit of a connection with the horrible plot these two corporate low-life jerks concoct.


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