Film 22 (9/9/2005)

In The Company of Men (1997)

Director: Neil LaBute

Recommended by: mooninite

Has Fentablar seen this before?: No.

I was hoping that this film had come at a very appropriate time in my life, based on what I had heard about it. The premise is that two businessman are fairly jaded from relationship experiences and are feeling tired of "the games women play", so they decide that during a six-week long business trip together, they will pick a woman and both date her, then simultaneously dump her in the hopes of exacting revenge on women.

This would have worked for me if they had picked a selfish, egotistical woman who actually plays these games they speak of. Instead, they pick a deaf woman who is very, very vulnerable. This COULD have been forgivable.

Being in the business world myself, I have witnessed individuals such as Chad and tend to loathe them completely for their continuingly dispassionate discourse through their lives. I take pride in being able to say that, for the most part, the people in my company don't like these sort of individuals either, and eventually they are separated from the wheat. In some ways, I feel we are unique in that aspect.

However, I must say this: if I walk away from the movie upset with its characters because of the type of people they are, then this film has made an affectual impact in one way or another and is therefore successful. This film was done extremely well done. It might piss you off, but that only goes to show how well made it really is. It may not have satiated me the way I thought it would, but sometimes surprises are a very good thing.

Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):

Plot Effectiveness: 5/5. This is an extraordinarily original concept, in my opinion. It is carried out to perfection.

Cinematography/Shot Selection: 5/5. It's no epic, but there were no errors whatsoever with shot selection.

Overall Acting: 5/5. Very, very believable characters.

Score/Soundtrack: 5/5. No soundtrack whatsoever, with exception to the segment breaks from week to week, and the music played during those is perfect for the mood of this film.

OVERALL RATING: 5/5

~Fentablar~