How Much Must You Lose to Find Yourself?

Who Are You Really?

The Company Men (2010) – Three men are laid off from the same company following the 2008 financial collapse.  With the center of their identities torn away, each has to find a way forward.

Directed by John Wells

Starring – Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Carpenter, Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson, Kevin Costner 

Why I Liked It – A solid telling of the crushing emotional pressure of job and identity loss.

Having just come off six years of underemployment, this one felt personal in ways it wouldn’t have a decade ago.  For many people, but especially men of a certain age, the job becomes a huge part of our identity.  To steal from the trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick”, it’s not just what we do, it’s who we are.  In my experience, that’s not a good thing.

Bobby (Affleck) is a late thirties sales manager.  His self-confidence made him successful and may also be what sinks him after he’s let go. Phil (Cooper) is the guy who started on the floor at the shipyard, and has always made his way following company co-founder Gene (Jones). For Gene, all the rewards of making it big (expensive dinners, hotel suites, mistresses) have become the center of his life.  With co-founder levels of stock options, the shock for Gene isn’t financial.  He and his best friend/college roommate (Nelson) started with nothing and turned it into a huge corporation spanning industries.  In the end, that friendship meant less that the stock price.  For the other two, the crisis is both financial and existential. It is the American way to live at or slightly beyond our means.  There will always be another check, we’ll take care of it then. 

Until there isn’t.

The movie tells these stories over the course of a year, something that isn’t always obvious.  I see reviews who insist all the drama is ridiculous because these guys make tons of money, so it would be fine.  There’s more time covered here than you might think, and even MBAs will spend more than they should.  “The Company Men” is less about family finances and more about coming to terms with ego.  Some folks do a better job of that than others.   Phil is a few years shy of retirement, and has made his way being a reliable support for Gene.  For Gene, he has stayed in the mindset of the co-founder still focused on the business that launched them.  When his head finally comes up, he discovers his friend no longer shares the values.  Bobby is the star athlete who has never been benched before.  He refuses to believe it’s happening.

Business people will take exception to the simple presentation of how corporations work.  The movie establishes just enough for the story to take place.  This is not a business movie, it’s a people movie.  They give the movie heart.  I want to add a quick nod to Kevin Costner who plays Bobby’s contractor brother-in-law.  They have never liked each other, but at one point Jack throws Bobby a bone.  I appreciated the movie not going for some sappy, “we’re all just buddies now” ending for these two.  While their relationship has changed, the two men exist in different worlds.

As noted above, I’ve spent some time in that seemingly endless search.  It is soul crushing, especially if you don’t have a support system.  Begin with the mindless toil of “putting yourself out there”, so many nonsense theories on how to succeed, the feeling of failure that haunt you.  There’s a quick scene near the end between Bobby and his wife Maggie (Rosemarie Dewitt) that put a lump in my throat.  I’ve had that conversation.  I know how hard it is have.

“The Company Men” was an indie movie that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.  The cast is outstanding and does everything the can with the script.  John Wells does a solid job in his debut on the big screen as a director.  In the final assessment, it’s the script that’s the weakest point.  It’s fine, as far as it goes.  It left me feeling like it needed a little more depth.

Rating – *** Worth A Look