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- Review count1
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- First reviewDecember 16, 2010
- Last reviewDecember 16, 2010
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- Average rating2
topping's Reviews
Overall rating
2
/
5
TV movie
PostedDecember 16, 2010
topping
from Los Angeles
The 1-week engagement making it eligible for the Academy Awards led me to believe that this was an exceptional film, or at least that it strived to be so. No, they're just hoping that their stellar supporting cast (Cooper, Costner, Jones) might get some nominations. You certainly won't be seeing this title getting any noms for best picture or best screenplay or best director. Aside from the acting, it is strictly second rate, never rising above the level of a made-for-TV movie -- where it would be more appropriate anyway. I wouldn't expect people to line up around the block to watch any movie about the current recession while we're still living in it and suffering through it; it would have to be f***ing brilliant, and "The Company Men" most definitely is not that.
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Not that it's a total disaster: the supporting cast is, of course, very good, for what being good in a mediocre film is worth. And it wasn't as painful as usual to watch Ben Affleck carry a film -- it's one of his better performances. And the depiction of the times feels very accurate -- I haven't had steady work for two years myself, so I can vouch for it. But as a whole, it's uninspired. I agree with the other reviewers here that the faux-uplifting ending was a loud false note, but it was already floundering, and better ending wouldn't have helped that much.
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The best part of the experience was that I had not been to the AMC Century City theaters since it was rebuilt, and it is the clearest and most pristine screen I've ever seen aside from the Director's Guild. It puts the Arclight Cinemas, where I usually go, to shame, to my great surprise. I'll be seeing movies there as often as possible from here on.
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Just looked up writer / director / co-producer John Wells on IMDb, and his writing/directing credits are entirely TV. No surprise whatsoever.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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